Predicting the Future
by Flame in the Darkness
Summary: After the flood that almost destroyed the Clans, peace reigns among the four Clans at the lake. However, Bramblestar is faced with a new dilemma, one that involves every single cat involved with the Clans, including the Tribes. Bramblestar and the other leaders must unite all cats, or face the wrath of the Dark Forest once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

This story is a co-op between many people from the Warriors Club. We do hope you all enjoy reading this fanfiction of what we think will happen after Bramblestar's Storm. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 1**

"Come on, Squirrelflight! You can do it!" said Leafpool.

Squirrelflight struggled as the kits started to come.

Suddenly a pale brown tabby she-cat and a silver and black tabby she-cat slid out. Leafpool put them in front of Daisy as Daisy started to lick their fur the wrong way.

"The coast's not clear yet, Squirrelflight!" Jayfeather mewed. "I feel that there's going to be two more kits!"

Squirrelflight groaned as the last two kits came. Leafpool noticed a gray tabby tom and a light gray she-cat with a white underbelly.

"Bramblestar, you can come in now," Jayfeather mewed.

"Thank StarClan than went well!" Bramblestar exclaimed, "What should we name them?"

"How about Ashkit," Squirrelflight said as she pointed towards the gray tabby tom, then shifting to the light gray she-cat, "and Featherkit."

"And Sparrowkit and Shadowkit," Bramblestar said pointing towards the other two kits.

"Shadowkit?" Squirrelflight asked.

"What's wrong with Shadowkit?" Bramblestar asked, slightly offended.

"Don't you think that his name would make Gatherings awkward for him? I mean imagine him walking up to a ShadowClan cat saying that his name was SHADOWKIT."

Jayfeather snorted and then added, "What if you named her..."

A yowl sounded from outside, interrupting Jayfeather.

"Can I see my daughter's kits yet?"

"Yes, Sandstorm," replied Jayfeather.

Sandstorm walked in. "Do they have names yet?" she asked.

"All but this one," said Squirrelflight with a nod towards the black tabby.

"Oh!" said Sandstorm. "You could call her Ravenkit, for Ravenpaw, because he never got his warrior name."

"I like it," said Bramblestar. "I met him in StarClan. What do you think, Squirrelflight?"

"Ravenkit's the perfect name for her," Squirrelflight mewed. "So the black tabby she-cat is Ravenkit, the gray tabby tom is Ashkit, and the light gray she-cat is Featherkit, and the Sparrowkit is the pale brown tabby she-cat."

"I like those names," Bramblestar mewed as he licked her ear.

"I'll leave you three alone," Jayfeather mewed as he backed out of the nursery entrance.


	2. Chapter 2

He backed out of the den, bumping straight into Dovewing, who was wandering around in a daze. "Can I see you for a moment?" he asked. He wanted to check on her without her knowing.

She sighed, "Sure... just don't tell me that I need to move on with my life, okay...?"

"That's not why I wanted you in the first place."

"Oh, okay then."

After they were out of the hollow Jayfeather asked her, "Are you and Bumblestripe back together?"

"No, why?" she asked sounding a bit concerned.

Jayfeather tried to stifle a yowl as he tried patiently to explain to her, "Dovewing, you are expecting kits."

Dovewing frowned. "That's not possible," she mewed slightly offended. "I don't have a mate!"

"Oh, I think we both know who the father is," Jayfeather said suspiciously.

"You know," Dovewing asked fearfully.

"Of course I knew about Tigerheart," Jayfeather mumbled.

"But it doesn't make sense!" she said, "It's been nearly a moon since I've seen him!"

"And you will only be seeing him at Gatherings from now on."

"But-"

"No," said Jayfeather. "You will say the kits are Bumblestripe's, and you will NOT speak to Tigerheart again."

"Whatever," muttered Dovewing.


	3. Chapter 3

(Six Moons Later)

"Ravenkit, Ashkit, Featherkit, and Sparrowkit, you have all reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will all be known as Ravenpaw, Ashpaw, Featherpaw, and Sparrowpaw. Ravenpaw, your mentor will be Lilyheart. Ashpaw, your mentor will be Blossomfall. Featherpaw, your mentor will be Amberwing. Sparrowpaw, your mentor will be Hollyshade" Bramblestar announced.

"Lilyheart, Blossomfall, Amberwing, and Hollyshade, you are all ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from your former mentors, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and talented. You will be the mentor of these apprentices, and I expect you to pass on all you know to them."

As the mentors and apprentices touched noses, the Clan cheered, "Ravenpaw! Ashpaw! Featherpaw! Sparrowpaw!"

Dovewing watched from the nursery with her kits, Clawkit and Patchkit.

"Why can't we be apprentices?" complained Clawkit.

"Because you're not six moons old yet," Dovewing replied. "You'll be apprentices soon enough."

"But we have to wait three more moons!" complained Patchkit.

"There's a good reason for having kits to be apprenticed at six moons old," Graystripe mewed. "I'll tell you two a story about why it's part of the warrior code."

"Yay, Graystripe's going to tell us a story!" Clawkit exclaimed as the two kits rushed towards the elders den.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dovewing's POV**

"Because you're not six moons old yet," she responded, searching for a hint of Tigerheart in him. Neither kit looked anything like their father; they looked more like Bumblestripe...

Then it hit her. These weren't his kits at all. They were Bumblestripe's. The whole Clan could see it, but she had been so sure that Tigerheart was the father because Jayfeather said... Jayfeather must have known... Why had he lied?

As Graystripe spoke to the kits, Dovewing stomped towards the medicine cats' den.

"Jayfeather?" she called. It was Leafpool who answered.

"He's out collecting herbs."

*Mouse dung!* thought Dovewing.

"Is anything wrong?" Leafpool asked.

"No, I just wanted to talk to Jayfeather."

"Oh, all right," Leafpool mewed with a slight look of hurt on her face. "Well, when he comes back, I'll inform you."

"Thanks, Leafpool."

Dovewing padded towards the elders den, where he heard Graystripe talking enthusiastically to her kits.

"Badgerpaw was only a small black and white tom only three moons old when he had his first battle," Graystripe mewed.

"Wow, he's really lucky!" Clawkit exclaimed.

"Well, let me finish this story. Brokenstar, leader of ShadowClan at the time, led his warriors into battle against WindClan because Brokenstar had scented WindClan in ShadowClan territory. When ShadowClan attacked, Badgerpaw was fatally wounded by a WindClan warrior."

"Oh, StarClan, what happened to him?" Patchkit asked, his gaze full of concern.

"As Badgerpaw lay dying, his mentor, Flintfang, promised him that no other kit would face the same fate as he did. In the end, Badgerpaw requested that his name be Badgerfang, in honor of his mentor. He now lives in StarClan."

"Oh, I get it now," Clawkit mewed. "I guess that really does make sense. I want to live long enough to be leader!"

"Just stay safe in camp for now," Graystripe said, "and listen to your mother."

"Clawkit and Patchkit, what do you say to Graystripe?" Dovewing asked.

"Thank you, Graystripe," the kits said together.

"Anytime," Graystripe yawned as he lied down. "You go play somewhere else now, all right? Maybe tomorrow I can tell you another story."

While Dovewing waited, she noticed Thornclaw, who had taken over deputy duties for the moment, was ordering patrols.

"Stormcloud you can go with Brackenfur, Dovewing and," Thornclaw paused, "Cherryfall." *Sigh* Dovewing thought. Now what?


	5. Chapter 5

(Squirrelflight's POV)

"Uh, Thornclaw, you do know that I'm deputy now?" Squirrelflight asked, "Remember? My kits are already apprentices."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Sorry," Thornclaw apologized.

"It's all right. Everyone, disregard what Thornclaw said. I'm going to reorganize the patrols," Squirrelflight stated.

"Okay, Brightheart, you can lead a patrol down the ShadowClan border. Take Ivypool, Birchfall, and Mousewhisker."

Brightheart nodded and waved her tail at Ivypool, Birchfall, and Mousewhisker.

"Spiderleg, you can lead a patrol next to the WindClan border. Take Molewhisker, Whitewing, and Bumblestripe."

"I want Amberwing, Dewfur, and Berrynose to come with me on a hunting patrol."

Squirrelflight then flicked her tail at her patrol, and they began to follow her out of camp.

"How about we try near the shore?" asked Squirrelflight.

The rest of the patrol murmured agreement, so she turned towards the lake.

"Amberwing, Berrynose, you go that way. Dewfur, try those bushes. I'll check near the bank," said Squirrelflight with a flick of her tail.

The cats headed their separate ways.

Squirrelflight scented something...

*Mouse!*

Just before she pounced, she heard Dewfur shriek.

Squirrelflight jumped in alarm and ran over to her Clanmate. "Are you all right, Dewfur?" she asked.

She stopped in her tracks. Badger! The badger was looming over Dewfur. Amberwing and Berrynose rushed to the scene.

"Dewfur, go get reinforcements!" Squirrelflight meowed as she prepared to face the badger.

As Dewfur flew off, Squirrelflight jumped over the badger, turned on her hind legs, and bit the badger on its hind leg. The badger gave a yowl. It turned to face her.

Amberwing then jumped onto the badger's back and began to claw it. The badger roared with fury and flung Amberwing off its back. Amberwing slammed into a tree and fell back unconscious.

The badger looked at Squirrelflight and swiped its paw at her. She managed to jump out of the way, but its claws scored her flank.

Suddenly Dewfur arrived with more cats. Spiderleg clawed at the badger's face, Fernsplash bit its tail, Cloudtail swiped his claws over its muzzle, and Dewfur jumped onto the badger's back, dug his claws into it, and managed to stay on.

When Cloudtail swung his claws at the badger's flank again, the badger howled and ran into the forest. Dewfur jumped off its back.

"Good work, everyone," Squirrelflight mewed. "Amberwing's knocked out, though. Spiderleg, help me carry her."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Squirrelflight's POV

"Holy StarClan! What happened?" Jayfeather exclaimed as they walked into camp.

"Badger," Squirrelflight responded after she had put down Amberwing, "Amberwing was the only cat hurt though."

Jayfeather grunted, "I'll be the judge of that," he said, looking at Squirrelflight's injury.

Suddenly Stormcloud burst into camp, struggling for breath, "Badger," he panted; it was obvious he had run all the way here.

Squirrelflight sent the remaining warriors who had not been with her patrol to help, hoping that they would be enough to stop the raging beast.

"Two badgers at once?" Jayfeather asked after the patrol had left. "This can't mean anything good."

Squirrelflight only nodded as Jayfeather began patching up her wound. He was right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Squirrelflight's POV

"What?" Bramblestar mewed in alarm. "Two badgers?"

"Yeah," Jayfeather replied. "I think it's an omen of some sort. Maybe even a prophecy."

"Jayfeather's right," Leafpool mewed. "We'll talk about the prophecy later, though. You need to get rid of that badger as well."

"Right," Squirrelflight mewed, "I'm going to get there when Jayfeather finishes with my wound."

"I'm coming with you," Bramblestar said.

After Jayfeather finished patching up her wound, Squirrelflight followed Stormcloud's scent.

Bramblestar gasped. "This is close to the training hollow!"

Squirrelflight charged at the hollow and screeched, "Our kits are training there today!"

Squirrelflight ran as fast as she could. She could hear Bramblestar following right behind.

When Squirrelflight arrived at the hollow, she saw the badger approaching in the shadows. Blossomfall looked alert, her kits looked scared, and their mentors were trying to calm them down.

"Ravenpaw, are you sure you smelled badger? I don't think you've ever scented one before," Lilyheart asked her apprentice.

"I'm pretty sure it's badger!"

"Be quiet and stay alert!" Blossomfall mewed.

"We're here!" Squirrelflight exclaimed as she charged into the hollow.

She leaped onto the badger claws out. This badger would not harm her Clan!

The cats around her stared at her like she was a fox with two heads. "What?" she thought.

Bramblestar stared at her, but he wasn't the one who spoke.

"Have you forgotten me, Squirrelflight?"

"MIDNIGHT!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"What are you doing here?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Who's she?" Stormcloud asked, "And why are we friends with a badger?"

"She's a special badger," Squirrelflight mewed, "She helped us during the Great Battle."

"Oh," Stormcloud said.

"I come to tell you something that will impact all Clans," Midnight growled, "I have to speak with Bramblestar first."

"I'm over here," Bramblestar mewed, padding his way to the front, "Good to see you again, Midnight."

"As with you, Bramblestar. StarClan have told me something to pass on to all Clans. I'd thought I'd start with yours first because I knew ThunderClan would not harm me. Except for maybe Squirrelflight," Midnight said with amusement.

"I was protecting my kits!" Squirrelflight exclaimed.

"Oh, kits? That's wonderful," Midnight said, "Congratulations. Now, Bramblestar, about that message."

"Yes?" Bramblestar asked.

"A rebellion will happen with the sly cat," Midnight said, "A change of direction must happen. A fight will happen near the place where lands meet."

"Could prophecies be more vague?" Squirrelflight heard Bramblestar mew under his breath.

"Thanks for telling us that, Midnight," Squirrelflight said, "although the Clans could use a few seasons of peace from anything right now."

"I'm afraid that's not the case," Midnight replied, "Now, if somecats can accompany me, we'll head straight for ShadowClan now. I hear they have a new leader."

So Bramblestar and Midnight were accompanied by Stormcloud, Lilyheart, and her apprentice, Ravenpaw, as they set off towards the ShadowClan border.

As they approached the clearing that divided the two Clans, they heard a ShadowClan hunting patrol. Not wanting to cause any ripped pelts Bramblestar called out, "Hello..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Stormcloud's POV

Immediately the ShadowClan patrol leaped onto the ThunderClan patrol, "What do you want?" Spikepaw growled.

"We just want to pass on a message to Rowanstar. Midnight is with us. Now get off me, Spikepaw," Bramblestar explained.

"My name is _Spikefur_ now," Spikefur retorted, "All right, fine, come with us. Rowanstar won't be happy with more ThunderClan cats, though."

"My, grumpy ShadowClan is," Midnight mumbled.

"Tell me about it," muttered Stormcloud. As they walked through the forest, Spikefur suddenly whirled around and hissed.

"How dare you try to trick me!" he spat, "ThunderClan will not attack us!"

He pounced on Bramblestar, who flipped him off, "What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed.

"Can't you smell it? You have more cats on our territory!"

Stormcloud opened his jaws to taste the air, and dashed towards the scent. The other cats followed him to a hollow, where two cats sat.

"DOVEWING?!" cried Bramblestar.

"Tigerheart! What are you doing?!" screeched Spikefur.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Bramblestar's POV

"Uhhhh...nothing...," Dovewing stuttered.

"I caught her sneaking behind the ThunderClan patrol. She was probably curious about everything that was going on," Tigerheart mewed quickly.

"Dovewing, go back to the camp. You'll be doing apprentice duties for a half-moon without leaving camp," Bramblestar mewed.

"Tigerheart, come with me," Spikefur mewed. "Rowanstar will want to hear about this."

Tigerheart and Dovewing shared a look before dashing off.

"Continue on, shall we?" Midnight asked.

Spikefur nodded and pushed his way through the undergrowth, "In here," he said

Bramblestar ducked his head and found himself in a well hidden ShadowClan camp. Tawnypelt was sitting near the nursery watching over two playing kits. Snaketail and Whitewater were talking near the fresh-kill pile, and Littlecloud and a creamy, brown apprentice was talking to Rowanstar.

"Rowanstar, there are some ThunderClan cats that would like to speak with you," Spikefur mewed.

"Thank you, Spikefur," Rowanstar replied, "Ask Crowfrost if there's anything else you can do."

Spikefur dipped his head and padded towards the deputy.

"Now, what do we have here?" Rowanstar asked, "ThunderClan cats and a badger. Should we really trust these cats?"

"No," the apprentice mewed, "It's a badger, for StarClan's sake! It's going to attack us!"

"Hush, Pebblepaw," Littlecloud mewed, "This is Midnight, the badger who helped us find a new home."

Pebblepaw glared at the patrol, deciding whether to trust Littlecloud or not.

"Important things we have now to discuss," Midnight growled, "Let us talk now of serious matters."

Just then a young kit came barreling out of the ShadowClan nursery yelling, "Die, ShadowClan warrior!" Another followed him who was playing the ShadowClan warrior and yelled back, "Never!"

"Well this is awkward...," Bramblestar thought.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Bramblestar's POV

"Robinkit! Mossykit! Come back here!" Tawnypelt called out, "I told you not to mess with Rowanstar right now!"

"Sorry Mama," Robinkit apologized, "Come on, Mossykit, let's go play over there!"

"Okay!" Mossykit replied as she scampered off to chase her brother.

"Sorry, Rowanstar," Tawnypelt apologized, "Those kits have endless amounts of energy!"

"That's all right," Rowanstar replied, purring, "Just make sure they don't come near here. We have important things to discuss."

Tawnypelt dipped her head and padded away.

"What's the matter, Midnight?" Littlecloud asked.

Midnight told Rowanstar and Littlecloud about StarClan's prophecy.

"That's interesting," Littlecloud mewed, "A fight where lands meet. We should prepare for anything that could happen."

Rowanstar stood up, "Thank you for telling us, Midnight. ShadowClan will escort you to the RiverClan border to pass on the news. Ferretclaw, Tigerheart, and Scorchfur, take the patrol to the RiverClan border."

The cats gathered around the patrol as they exited the camp.

"To RiverClan next," announced Midnight, "For they are closer."

Bramblestar dipped his head. "Very well. But I must go, for it is getting late. Stormcloud, can you escort Midnight to the RiverClan camp?"

Stormcloud nodded, "I will be back as soon as possible."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar sent Lilyheart and Ravenpaw along the lake to see if they could catch some prey and made sure to remind them not to catch any prey inside ShadowClan's borders. He decided to go the long way though; he wanted to clear his mind a little. So much had just happened.

As he was crossing over the border, he thought he heard a noise outside on the border of the Clan's territory. Curiously, he crept up the hill towards the noise. Thanks to the wind, which was blowing towards him, he could smell some cats, but he was sure they couldn't smell him.

He snuck up to a bunch of bushes and peered through them. What he saw made him gasp! He saw Ashpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Featherpaw with...no other cat than Tigerstar!

"Ah, you fine kits of Bramblestar," Tigerstar mewed, "Don't you know who you were named after?"

"Wait, we were named after other cats?" Ashpaw asked.

'Wait, what?' Bramblestar thought.

"Ashpaw, you were named after Ashfur," Tigerstar stated, "Oh, his heart is filled with revenge for your mother."

"Squirrelflight? Why?" Ashpaw asked.

"Ashfur wanted Squirrelflight for himself, and tried to get Bramblestar out of the way. He was killed by Hollyleaf. He wants you, of course, to have revenge. Ah, here he is now."

A starry cat padded out of the shadows. "Ashpaw, what a fine little cat," Ashfur mewed. "Aren't you ready to have some fun?"

"Yes!" Ashpaw mewed.

"As for you, Sparrowpaw, you were named after Halftail," Tigerstar continued.

'Halftail?' Bramblestar wondered.

"His warrior name was Sparrowpelt. He was very brave, but lost his tail to a badger. When he couldn't climb trees anymore, his heart was broken, and he was secretly jealous of all the warriors and apprentices. He is behind you, Sparrowpaw."

"Great StarClan!" Sparrowpaw exclaimed, "Hi, Halftail!"

"Call me Sparrowpelt," Sparrowpelt mewed, exasperated.

"And for you, Featherpaw. You were named after a beautiful cat called Feathertail. Of course, she died as well, leaving behind a very heartbroken Crowfeather."

"Crowfeather!" Featherpaw exclaimed.

"Yes. They bonded on the Great Journey. Anyway, Feathertail sacrificed her life for the Tribe of Rushing Water. She has always wanted to be with Crowfeather, and is angry at Crowfeather for replacing her with Nightcloud. She has always wanted revenge on her and her kits. Ah, Feathertail, there you are."

Feathertail padded out of the sky, "You must be Featherpaw," Feathertail mewed.

"Of course!" Featherpaw said proudly.

'Oh, no,' Bramblestar thought, 'Tigerstar's at it again, and he's convinced Ashfur, Halftail, and Feathertail to side with him! I can't do anything against these cats now. The only thing I can do is to protect Ravenpaw!'

Bramblestar slunk away from his hiding spot and ran as fast as he could to the ThunderClan camp.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Bramblestar's POV

He raced past the old Twoleg den, flew past the trees, and, without noticing it, past the camp where his Clanmates watched and tried to get his attention. He ran all the way to the lake, where he collapsed into a gasping pile of fur.

"What can I do? How can I save my kits?" he asked himself in a hoarse whisper, "What will happen to my Clan? After so much pain why must we be deal with something so awful...," and with that he promptly fell unconscious and left his worries behind...

At least until he woke up to a very concerned Squirrelflight.

"Bramblestar, what's wrong? You were acting like a lunatic back there!" Squirrelflight exclaimed.

"I...I...," Bramblestar stammered.

"Now there, Squirrelflight," Leafpool mewed, "Bramblestar's probably stressed. Let's go back to camp and have him rest, then explain."

"Alright, Leafpool. Come on, everything's going to be all right," Squirrelflight mewed.

"No, everything's not alright," Bramblestar said worriedly, "I need to go to the Moonpool right now!"

"It can wait until tomorrow, can it not?" Leafpool asked.

"No, I need to go now. Ravenpaw might be in danger!"

"Okay, then..." Leafpool said hesitantly, "I'll accompany you there."

"Squirrelflight, you're in charge until I get back. And keep an eye on Ravenpaw!"

Squirrelflight dipped her head and padded back towards camp.

"Come on," Leafpool mewed as she helped Bramblestar up.

"StarClan, please help me," Bramblestar thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Bramblestar's POV

"It's beautiful," Bramblestar mewed.

"It never gets old," Leafpool replied.

The Moonpool was filled with stars from Silverpelt, and the cave was shining with sparkling stones.

"Lie down beside the Moonpool, and drink from it," Leafpool mewed.

Bramblestar lay down, lapped at the starry water, and closed his eyes. He opened them to find himself in front of the Ravenpaw in StarClan.

"Welcome back, Bramblestar," Ravenpaw mewed.

"Thank StarClan I'm talking to you," Bramblestar said, relieved, "Have you been contacted by Tigerstar?"

"No. Your daughter Ravenpaw will be safe, because I know Tigerstar and his ways. I won't be easily influenced."

"Thank you, Ravenpaw." Bramblestar said.

"However, since Ashfur, Halftail, and Feathertail have been corrupted, StarClan is in turmoil," Ravenpaw mewed, "The three cats' relatives are desperately trying to stop their children, but Ashfur, Halftail, and Feathertail won't stop, like they're in some sort of trance."

"What can we do?" Bramblestar asked.

"You need the help of trustworthy cats, from StarClan and the five other Clans."

"Five? You mean SkyClan?" Bramblestar asked.

"Firestar has talked to you about this? Good. Then you know where to go."

"I have to go to SkyClan?"

"And request the help of Leafstar. Oh, and the other Clans, SkyClan included, are also experiencing the corruption of their apprentices for revenge. Be careful in who you trust, Bramblestar. Don't make more enemies than you should."

Bramblestar woke up to the star filled cave. Leafpool was already awake.

"Come on, we must get back to camp," Bramblestar mewed. "I have to talk to Sandstorm."

Together Bramblestar and Leafpool hurried back to camp in an uneasy silence. They jumped over tree roots and wove through the trees in unison; this wasn't the first time they had come back from the Moonpool, and now they just naturally came back as one.

Leafpool broke the silence halfway back to camp, "What has that about, Bramblestar? The running? The hurry? Ravenpaw? Explain what's happening to me," she commanded.

With his ears down he told her... everything. He told her about the training in the Dark Forest that had happened so many moons ago, Hawkfrost with his plan to kill Firestar, everything he had seen when he had seen Tigerheart, and everything else. The truth flew through him like a river, and it was quite past sun-high when his story finally came to an end.

"So now you know..."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Stormcloud's POV

"What are you doing here?" Reedwhisker asked.

"Midnight has a message for RiverClan," Stormcloud mewed, "A prophecy."

"Really?" Lakeheart asked, "There's a ThunderClan cat on our territory with a badger."

"Yeah!" a pale ginger she-cat exclaimed.

"Lakeheart, Dapplepaw, be quiet," the deputy said, "I think Mistystar will want to see these two. I don't smell any other ThunderClan cats. Come on."

Reedwhisker led them through the wet, grassy field, through a stream, through some wet undergrowth, and into the RiverClan camp.

"Mistystar!" Reedwhisker called out, "We have visitors."

Stormcloud glanced around the camp. He spotted Pouncetail and Rushtail sharing a pike, Mothwing and Willowshine sorting herbs, and the apprentices playing.

Mistystar emerged from her den, "Ah, it's Midnight! Welcome to the RiverClan camp. Come inside my den, and we'll talk. You too, Stormcloud."

Stormcloud ducked his head under the bramble thickets and stepped into the den. Midnight clambered in beside him.

"All right, Midnight, what's going on?" Mistystar asked.

Midnight explained the prophecy sent to her by StarClan. Mistystar's gaze darkened a little.

"Thank you, Midnight. I suppose you're here for another reason, since StarClan themselves would've given us the prophecy." Mistystar said.

"The reason will be explained at the next Gathering. I will be staying with ThunderClan for a quarter-moon," Midnight replied.

"I think it's best we get going," Stormcloud mewed, "WindClan needs to hear our message as well."

"All right. Reedwhisker, Icewing, and Heronwing to accompany you to the RiverClan-WindClan border," Mistystar mewed. "May StarClan light your path, both of you."

"And yours as well," Midnight growled.

(Later)

After delivering the news to WindClan, Midnight and Stormcloud headed back towards ThunderClan camp.

"Why are you here, Midnight?" Stormcloud said, after a brief silence.

A pause. Stormcloud mentally scolded himself for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time; he didn't even know the badger that well.

"It was rain that has flooded my cave," Midnight growled, "Important it was to come to the Clans. Many hardships will follow."

"I'm sorry," Stormcloud said simply, "I hope you will be able to return."

"Important it is for me to stay here right now," Midnight said, "For the Clans will have many troubles. I will be here to help."

"Thank you, Midnight. I have heard many stories of how you helped the Clans many times," Stormcloud said, "We are almost at camp."

"Protect the Clan, Stormcloud," Midnight said, "For many things will happen, and the Dark Forest will take advantage of that."

Stormcloud walked through the tunnel into the camp as he pondered Midnight's words. In the tales of the Great Battle, the Dark Forest was vicious, killing many warriors, including Firestar. 'If they're going to come back,' he thought, 'then we're going to have to be ready this time.'


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Featherpaw's POV

"Featherpaw? Are you okay?"

Featherpaw opened her eyes to see Ravenpaw sitting next her.

"You've been there again, haven't you? You know the stories! It isn't safe!"

"They've changed!"

"THEY DON'T CHANGE!" hissed Ravenpaw. Come on. I'm telling Father."

Featherpaw followed, scared.

(In the leader's den...)

"I knew it," muttered Bramblestar, "I hoped I was just worried, but it's true."

He sighed, "Featherpaw, WHY?"

She blinked in shame, "She seemed so nice... like YOU told me! I thought if she trusted Tigerstar, he must be okay. When I looked into her amber eyes-"

"AMBER?" questioned Bramblestar, "Feathertail has blue eyes."

"But this cat had amber eyes," insisted Featherpaw.

"I don't know any dead cat like that..."

Jayfeather burst in.

"Bramblestar! I saw a cat in my dreams... Silver... I think it was a she-cat!"

"What color were her eyes?" demanded the Clan leader.

"Umm... Amber," replied Jayfeather. "Why?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Bramblestar's POV

"It's a long story," Bramblestar sighed. "Where are the rest of your siblings, Featherpaw?"

"They're cleaning the elders' den," Featherpaw replied, shaking.

"Ravenpaw, go get them, and come back," Bramblestar mewed.

Ravenpaw nodded and padded out of the den.

"What's going on, Bramblestar?" Jayfeather asked, "I've been having dreams about apprentices, the Dark Forest, and StarClan. My dreams are all mixed up. Something's wrong."

Bramblestar sighed. "When I was coming back from ShadowClan territory, I saw Featherpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Ashpaw with Tigerstar, Feathertail, Halftail, and Ashfur."

"Tigerstar with StarClan cats? I get Feathertail and Ashfur, but Halftail?"

"His old name was Sparrowpelt."

"But I thought Tigerstar's spirit didn't exist anymore. He was killed again by Firestar, right?"

"I don't know."

As the leader and medicine cat continued talking, Ravenpaw emerged with Sparrowpaw and Ashpaw behind her.

"My kits," Bramblestar mewed, "have fallen into a trap by the Dark Forest. It's like a curse, that we are all destined to see the Dark Forest."

"Well, I haven't seen anything like that," Ravenpaw pointed out.

"True. The Ravenpaw in StarClan is too smart for Tigerstar," Bramblestar mewed. Then he sighed again, "Listen, Ashpaw, Featherpaw, and Sparrowpaw, we had no intention of naming you after anyone. Only Ravenpaw was named after a previous Ravenpaw. Tigerstar is lying, as he always has. You know Firestar? Tigerstar planned with Hawkfrost to kill him."

The apprentices all gasped. Jayfeather cocked his head.

"He's evil. The only way out of the Dark Forest is not to think about it ever again. The other apprentices from the other Clans, a fifth Clan included, is experiencing this as well," Bramblestar finished.

"A fifth Clan?" Ashpaw asked.

"Ask Sandstorm about that later. You all are dismissed. Jayfeather, stay with me."

When the apprentices left, Bramblestar spoke, "Jayfeather, make sure those apprentices aren't messing with Tigerstar, all right? And please send Dovewing here. I need to talk to her."

Heartbeats after Jayfeather left the den, Dovewing padded in, "Am I off apprentice duties now?"

"Yes, as long as you don't fool around with ShadowClan cats anymore. I know what you've been doing with Tigerheart. But I also know that the kits are yours and Bumblestripe's. Please don't meet Tigerheart anymore. To make sure of this, you're not coming to the next Gathering."

Dovewing nodded, "All right, Bramblestar."

"And I also think your kits are ready to become apprentices. We'll hold the ceremony at sundown."

"Finally! Those kits are really getting big now!" Dovewing said jokingly.

"Look, Dovewing, just make sure they don't meet Tigerstar, all right?"

"Okay," Dovewing said hesitantly, "I'll do my best."

"Good. You're dismissed."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Bramblestar's POV

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge to hear what I have to say."

Bramblestar watched as cats gathered in the clearing. Dovewing urged her kits out of the nursery, Graystripe emerged from the elders den, and the apprentices huddled close to each other.

"Today, we have a very special ceremony for two cats. Clawkit and Patchkit, come forward."

The kits looked very excited as they padded forward.

"From this day forward, both of you will be known as Clawpaw and Patchpaw. Clawpaw, your mentor will be Spiderleg. Patchpaw, your mentor will be Rosepetal."

"Spiderleg and Rosepetal, you both have received excellent training from your mentors. I know you will pass on all you know to you apprentices."

"Clawpaw! Patchpaw! Clawpaw! Patchpaw!" the Clans cheered as they touched noses.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Bramblestar's POV

The next Gathering was held under the brightest full moon the Clans had seen yet, but it was all a dream.

When the four Clans walked over to the island, they could sense they were not alone. Onestar broke the tension by saying, "We must talk now, and fast, for there is something dangerous near."

All the Clan leaders nodded in agreement, and Mistystar stepped forward and began the Gathering with news from RiverClan. After Mistystar, Rowanstar spoke, then Onestar, and finally, Bramblestar was left to tell the Clans what he knew.

He stepped forward taking a deep breath and told the Clans about StarClan's warning and what Ravenpaw told them they needed to do.

His announcement was met with bewildered stares and then an eruption of questions all directed at him: "SkyClan? Tigerstar? In a trance?"

He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by and familiar voice that sent dread coursing through him.

The young Tigerheart had stood up. His eyes were glazed over and the voice he spoke in was not his own, "I told you that you couldn't get rid of me," he said menacingly, and it sounded as if all the stars spoke with him...

Suddenly, the island became pitch black as the moon disappeared. Only Tigerheart's dark, amber eyes were visible.

"You thought Firestar killed me," Tigerstar's voice came. "That is not true. I have used the essences of all the vanquished spirits to gain enough spirit to materialize in Tigerheart's body."

"No...," Bramblestar said, shocked, "No way."

"I'm coming," Tigerheart/Tigerstar continued. "Watch the shadows in the camp; the way your apprentices act. Watch as I take over what is supposed to be mine!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar woke up, panting. He exited the den to find that it was dusk. The full moon shone brightly on the horizon.

"That was so real," Bramblestar muttered as he walked over to the medicine cat's den.

"Jayfeather?" Bramblestar asked, poking his head into the den.

"Is this question urgent?" Jayfeather replied. "I'm kind of busy treating Thornclaw's sprain."

"Well, I think I've had a really significant dream."

"Fine. I'll be done in a heartbeat. Wait outside."

Bramblestar stepped outside. The day was turning dark, and soon Bramblestar would have to pick cats for the Gathering.

Thornclaw emerged from the medicine cat den. "Jayfeather can see you now."

Bramblestar nodded and stepped inside. Jayfeather was organizing herbs.

"What is it?" Jayfeather asked.

"Well, I had a dream," Bramblestar then explained everything that happened.

"That's odd," Jayfeather mewed. "Tigerstar isn't supposed to come back to life in the first place. Then apprentices and warriors get corrupted."

"Should we go to the Gathering?" Bramblestar asked.

"You should. Maybe you could ask the leaders and medicine cats to stay behind and talk about this," Jayfeather replied.

"Thanks," Bramblestar said. "I hope everything turns out alright."

"Only StarClan knows." Jayfeather replied.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Jayfeather's POV

"Do we really get to go to the Gathering tonight?" squealed Patchpaw.

"Duh, mouse-brain, Bramblestar said so," replied Clawpaw.

Jayfeather twitched his whiskers amusedly as he heard Spiderleg reply, "Yes, and because this will be your first, you must behave and stay with your mentors."

Jayfeather crossed the tree trunk and stepped onto the island. RiverClan and ShadowClan were here already.

Once WindClan had arrived, Onestar jumped onto a tree branch, followed by the other leaders. The deputies settled onto the tree roots.

"We have three new apprentices: Ripplepaw, Leopardpaw, and Silverpaw. Also, Larkwing has three new kits: Tornkit, Buzzardkit, and Yellowkit. Prey is plentiful and there are no Twolegs to bother us."

Mistystar spoke next. "RiverClan has four new apprentices: Gorsepaw, Swallowpaw, Dapplepaw, and Sunpaw. Minnowtail has two new kits: Fleetkit and Jumpkit. There has also been a fox on our territory, but our warriors chased it over the ShadowClan border."

Bramblestar spoke. "ThunderClan is flourishing. There are two new apprentices: Clawpaw and Patchpaw. Midnight is staying with us in camp. Newleaf has brought plenty of prey to the forest."

Rowanstar was next. "ShadowClan also has four apprentices: Brownpaw, Stonepaw, and Flamepaw. Pebblepaw is Littlecloud's apprentice. Sadly, Snaketail has passed away and has joined StarClan."

"This Gathering is concluded," Onestar said as he leaped down from the branch.

"Come on, we have to go now," Squirrelflight said.

"Bramblestar's supposed to give the signal," Dustpelt complained.

"He's staying behind with the other leaders and medicine cats," Squirrelflight explained, padding towards Dustpelt.

Jayfeather brushed past Dustpelt and headed towards where the leaders and other medicine cats were meeting up.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Bramblestar's POV

"So what's going on here about Midnight and all that?" Rowanstar asked.

"Well first, I was returning from your territory when I saw Tigerstar with StarClan warriors," Bramblestar explained.

"Tigerstar?" Mistystar asked. "I thought his spirit vanished permanently."

"He told me he gathered essences from other vanquished spirits to form another body," Bramblestar replied. "He came to me in a dream and said he was going to take over all the Clans once and for all. He's using our apprentices to do his dirty work."

"And how are we supposed to believe you?" Onestar asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, it explains Ripplepaw's injuries," Kestrelflight spoke, "She gets new scars on her pelt every other night and makes up an excuse about thorns in her nest."

"The apprentices have seemed rude to the warriors lately," Mothwing mewed uncomfortably.

"How are we supposed to believe that the Dark Forest warriors and StarClan warriors are involved? Can we really trust ThunderClan?" Rowanstar asked.

"Remember the warrior code!" Mistystar exclaimed, "We all agreed to it. And I'll take Bramblestar's word for it."

"If you don't believe him, then come to the Moonpool to see for yourselves," Littlecloud piped up, "When the medicine cats went to the Moonpool last half-moon, our dreams was all mixed up and in turmoil. StarClan has no control now. Cats are getting corrupted."

"And the thing is, the corrupted all have amber eyes," Kestrelflight remarked, "Just like Tigerstar."

"Fine, fine," Rowanstar said, exasperated, "How are we supposed to resolve this problem?"

"Ravenpaw told me to look for a fifth Clan," Bramblestar replied.

"What is it with all the stories?" Rowanstar said.

"Rowanstar, I'm pretty sure there's enough evidence of what's happening right now," Willowshine mewed, "Go on, Bramblestar."

"This fifth Clan was called SkyClan. Remember when Firestar was gone for a period of time?"

"Yes. That was ages ago, I remember, when Graystripe took over for a moon," Mistystar replied.

"He was rebuilding SkyClan. I believe their leader is Leafstar, from what Ravenpaw told me. We need to go and get their help. Sandstorm gave me a few pointers of what SkyClan exactly was and how to get there."

"So, we go, ask for help, hope they believe us, and what?" Onestar asked.

"I don't know yet. But it's the right thing to do now," Bramblestar mewed. He rose to his paws, "There's one more thing."

"What?" Willowshine asked.

"Ravenpaw told us to be careful of whom we trust and that we shouldn't make any more enemies."

"We should get going now," Leafpool said, rising to her paws. "When are we going to discuss further about this?"

"Maybe in a quarter-moon," Mistystar replied. "I'll be here."

"And me as well," Onestar mewed.

"I'm going to come," Rowanstar grumbled.

Bramblestar dipped his head. "Until a quarter-moon," he agreed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Leafstar's POV

Leafstar woke to the sound of her own coughing. She opened her eyes and pricked her ears. She could hear her own Clanmates coughing as well. There was a greencough outbreak in the Clan, and Frecklewish was doing her best to contain it.

Leafstar sighed. Her faithful deputy, Sharpclaw, had died a quarter-moon ago. She'd appointed Waspwhisker in his place. Her thoughts were interrupted by a hacking cough from the elder's den.

Leafstar stood up warily. She had to be careful. She was on her last life, and she couldn't lose it now. Not when the Clan was vulnerable and the apprentices were acting up. Leafstar lay down and replayed important events that had happened to the Clan many moons ago.

She remembered Egg's warrior ceremony. He'd still chosen to keep his name like that, despite the other warriors' names. Birdpaw, Honeypaw, and Sandypaw, Clovertail's kits, had become Birdcloud, Honeystream, and Sandywind. Clovertail had looked proud, and Patchfoot was congratulating his kits.

Leafstar remembered her own kits. They were now warriors, with the names Firecloud, Stormmask, and Harryfur. Leafstar's heart was swelling with pride when she'd named her kits, and Billystorm had seemed to approve as well.

She pushed on ahead into her own thoughts. Cherrytail and Sharpclaw's kits were wonderful and feisty, all four of them. They, of course, were warriors. Wildfoot, Tumblefang, Runningspots, and Goldendust. They were still mourning Sharpclaw's death.

Then there were Plumwillow's kits. She had four kits, and they were apprentices now. Badgerpaw, Talonpaw, Foxpaw, and Gingerpaw were all fast learning apprentices, almost ready to become warriors.

Four new rogues had come to join her Clan: Icicle, Cream, Rocky and Copper. They'd all agreed to new names except for Rocky: Icicletail, Creamfrost, and Copperpelt. Copperpelt was currently taking care of her and Icicletail's kits: Lavenderkit, Peanutkit, and Dustykit. Rocky was a current SkyClan elder.

Leafstar then thought about the greencough epidemic. Echosong was the first to die. She had worked herself to the limit, trying to treat all the sick cats. Then, Sparrowpelt had died in his sleep. Sharpclaw, her faithful deputy, was the last cat to die so far.

"Leafstar?" Frecklewish asked. "May I come in?"

"Come in," Leafstar said weakly.

Frecklewish padded in, carrying a bundle of herbs. She'd become a full time medicine cat, sadly parting from her housefolk after Echosong passed away, "Here's some catmint. Are you feeling alright?"

"I guess," Leafstar mewed, looking at the herbs.

"I don't know what we're going to do," Frecklewish said sadly. "I hope some miracle happens soon."

"So do I," Leafstar agreed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Onestar's POV

Onestar raced home with Kestrelflight hard on his paws. The wind ruffled his pelt as he ran on the moor. 'I haven't run like this in moons!' he thought.

Soon enough, they were back at camp. Onestar greeted Nightcloud, who was guarding the entrance. The camp was silent as Onestar padded towards his den. It had been a tiring day, and he'd wanted to rest.

Onestar settled into his nest and lay down. He closed his eyes.

Once Onestar reopened them, he found himself facing a light gray tom with brilliant blue eyes.

"I don't think I know you," Onestar mewed.

"Me either," Kestrelflight agreed as he padded into the clearing.

'Well, I don't know how Kestrelflight is here, but he's here,' Onestar thought.

"My name is Sky. Of course, founder of SkyClan. I assume Bramblestar explained everything to you two?"

Onestar and Kestrelflight nodded.

"You must depart for SkyClan immediately. Leafstar is about to join the SkyClan skies with us soon, so you must hurry."

"Wait, me?" Onestar asked.

"You, along with the other leaders. I've already talked to them. They said they could depart as soon as the sun rises in two days."

"All right, then. What do we do there?"

"Form an alliance with Leafstar. There is great darkness coming, more than in the Great Battle. Be careful of who you trust, Onestar. May StarClan light your path."

"And yours as well," Onestar replied.

Onestar blinked, and he was back in his den. Daylight was streaming from the entrance. He exited the den and padded towards the medicine cat den.

"Did we just share the same dream last night?" Onestar asked Kestrelflight.

"Most definitely," Kestrelflight replied. "You must go, Onestar. If Sky himself has gone out of his way to pass on a message, you should heed it."

Onestar nodded and exited the den. He found Harespring assigning patrols.

"Harespring, are there any warriors that can accompany me around the lake?" Onestar asked.

Harespring nodded, "Weaselfur, Heathertail, and Breezepelt can go with you."

Onestar flicked his tail to the three cats as he walked to the exit of the camp.

"What are we doing?" Breezepelt asked.

"That is not your concern, Breezepelt," Onestar replied. "Just follow me."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar was out on border patrol with Lionblaze and Dovewing, who was going against Bumblestripe and Jayfeather's wishes by going on the patrol when he saw Onestar heading towards the island.

"Onestar," he yelled. "Where are you going?"

Onestar's patrol turned to look at the three ThunderClan cats; Breezepelt glared at them with a severe burning hatred.

"None of your business you-," Breezepelt growled.

Onestar interrupted him though, "Breezepelt, it is actually his business, and to answer your question, Bramblestar, I'm heading to the island. I thought the leaders should talk right away."

"I agree, shall we walk together?" he asked.

"Might as well."

Bramblestar spoke, "Lionblaze, Dovewing, follow me to the island."

Bramblestar raced through the trees, and then ran along the edge of the lake. He saw Mistystar and Rowanstar approaching as well, with their respective warriors.

Bramblestar padded over to where the leaders were sitting. The warriors were at a respectful distance, where they could protect their leaders but not overhear their conversation.

Bramblestar spoke first. "Did we have the same dream last night?"

The three other leaders nodded. "How do we do this?" Mistystar asked. "We only have today before we leave tomorrow."

Onestar spoke up. "We can take two warriors with us, I think. Bramblestar should know the way."

Bramblestar shifted his paws. "I think it will be hard," he mewed. "The Twolegs most likely built the new Twolegplace over the stream leading to SkyClan."

"Hopefully StarClan will give us clear directions," Rowanstar mumbled.

"I agree with Onestar about taking two warriors with us," Mistystar mewed. "Our deputies can lead the Clans temporarily. We should inform the Clans about this situation."

"It's the half-moon tonight," Rowanstar said. "The medicine cats may have an idea about where we should go."

Bramblestar nodded, "Hopefully all goes well tomorrow."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Leafstar's POV

Leafstar looked up to see that she was no longer in her nest, but in a misty, sparkling forest. Looking around, she saw a strong, lean shape walking towards her...

"Sharpclaw! Is that you?" she cried, leaping to her paws.

"It is I," he said. "I've come with news for you."

"Please let it be good," she begged.

Her old deputy nodded, "There is hope for SkyClan, and it shall not fail again. Soon there will be new cats coming. You will not know them, but trust them, for they know you."

He began to fade.

"Wait! What cats? How will I know-" Leafstar broke off as he vanished.

Waking up to a hushed meow, she looked around. Frecklewish was standing by her nest, Dustykit at her side.

"Hi, Leafstar!" mewed Dustykit cheerfully. "Sorry if I woke you up, but when we came in, you had stopped coughing, so we thought we would wait and see how you felt."

Leafstar purred in amusement at the kit's enthusiasm. "I do feel a bit better, Dustykit, thank you. But I'm not cured quite yet."

Frecklewish added, "You'll be worrying your mother. I think you ought to go tell her where you've been."

Dustykit bounced away.

"He certainly is enthusiastic," said Leafstar.

"Yes, he just might be my apprentice," replied Frecklewish. She sighed, "But that's moons away."

Leafstar nodded, barely listening. She was wondering what Sharpclaw had meant.

Who are these cats? And how do they know me?


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Bramblestar's POV

"Bramblestar."

Bramblestar opened his eyes to see Jayfeather at the entrance of his den. "What is it?" he asked.

"We had a message from StarClan to pass on to you," Jayfeather replied. "They said that Leafstar was expecting you soon and that you should leave at sunrise."

"That soon?" Bramblestar said, surprised. "I guess we have to get ready."

"No Bramblestar, I am not going-," Jayfeather started but was interrupted by Bramblestar.

"What do you mean not going?" he asked, confused.

"The leaders agreed on each taking two warriors; no one mentioned the medicine cats. And besides that, I believe I will be needed here in the near future, for the apprentices will need guidance."

Nodding, Bramblestar spoke, "I understand. Will you please watch over my kits while I'm away? Squirrelflight can see what is physically wrong with them but only you, even without your powers, can watch over them completely."

"I will watch over them for you, Bramblestar," Jayfeather told Bramblestar, whose shoulders relaxed. "But now you must decide, who will you bring with you?"

"Um, I don't know," Bramblestar replied. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think you should take someone who is more, say, young," Jayfeather mewed. "Maybe Birchfall and Lionblaze?"

"I guess," Bramblestar mewed. "I don't know. I mean, great StarClan, this is a hard decision!"

"Go ask Squirrelflight," Jayfeather suggested. "I've got some herbs to collect."

Bramblestar nodded and padded towards warriors den, where Squirrelflight was sleeping. "Squirrelflight?" Bramblestar whispered, prodding Squirrelflight's sleeping body.

Squirrelflight stirred. "What is it, Bramblestar?"

"Um, I'm leaving for SkyClan at sunrise," Bramblestar mewed. "I need you to stay here and lead the Clan temporarily. But who should come with me? I need two warriors."

Squirrelflight sat up and thought for a moment, "I think Cinderheart and Dovewing may be able to go with you."

"Well, I guess we can take Dovewing, but I think Lionblaze should come instead. I think this will take Dovewing's mind off of things for a while."

Squirrelflight nodded. "I think that sounds like a good idea," she agreed. "Go get some sleep."

Bramblestar nodded and went back to his den.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Bramblestar's POV

He woke up a little before dawn, so he could call a Clan meeting. He jumped up onto Highledge.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" he called.

Cats padded, bleary-eyed, out of their dens. A few were grumbling, and he heard someone say, "This better be REALLY important."

"I have to leave on a journey," announced Bramblestar once everyone had settled. "And it will take at least a moon, probably more, so I am leaving Squirrelflight in charge while I'm away."

"Where are you going?" called Cloudtail.

Bramblestar wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't worry his Clan, but he didn't want to lie to them either.

"Well," he began, "I'm going somewhere Firestar went a long time ago. It's really important. Squirrelflight will fill you in later, I'm sure. For this mission, I have selected Lionblaze and Dovewing to come with me. You don't have to," he added, "but it would be great if you can come."

"I'm coming," Lionblaze mewed.

"I will as well," Dovewing agreed.

"Good," Bramblestar said, relieved. "The rest of you can resume your day. Lionblaze and Dovewing, report to the medicine cat den for some traveling herbs."

Bramblestar hopped off the Highledge and proceeded to pad towards the medicine cat den, where Jayfeather had already given Lionblaze and Dovewing their herbs.

"I will never get used to the taste," Lionblaze muttered as he chewed his herbs.

When the trio was finished and ready to go, a crowd of cats were waiting at the exit. Squirrelflight padded up towards him. "Stay safe," she whispered.

Bramblestar nudged her back. "I will, like we did on the Great Journey. StarClan will guide us."

After Bramblestar and the others finished their farewells, they set off towards the Island. When they arrived, Rowanstar and Mistystar were there, along with Tigerheart and Grassfeather from ShadowClan, and Duskfur and Heronwing from RiverClan. Bramblestar mewed a greeting to the leaders as he sat by them.

"I hope WindClan will be here soon," Rowanstar said. "We got here moons ago!"

After a few heartbeats, Onestar appeared, along with Emberfoot and Heathertail.

Bramblestar nodded as Onestar approached. "So I guess we head out now?" Onestar asked, tilting his head towards Bramblestar.

Bramblestar didn't know what to say. "Um..."

Suddenly, a tree in the distance grew higher than the others. It disappeared after a moment, but every cat had seen it.

A few cats gasped.

"I think that's where we need to go," breathed Bramblestar.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Dovewing's POV

When Dovewing saw Tigerheart coming to the island, her heart leaped. She could spend some time with him without anyone being suspicious.

Tigerheart padded up towards the warriors, who were sitting close by. "Hey," he said, nodding at everyone. He then leaned in close to Dovewing and whispered, "Nice to see you again."

Dovewing forced herself to have a straight face, but her heart was thumping so hard, she was surprised it didn't break.

Suddenly, a tree in the distance grew higher than the others. It disappeared after a moment, but every cat had seen it.

Dovewing gasped. The tree looked as if it were reaching towards the sky. 'Like SkyClan,' she thought.

Dovewing noticed that the leaders were making their way to the warriors. "It's time to go," Bramblestar mewed. "StarClan has sent a sign, and we must follow it."

 **[Third person (or should I say third CAT) in StarClan.]**

"Do you think the group can make it to SkyClan?" a small, pale brown tabby tom asked. "I don't want it to fall like last time."

"It won't, Brackenheart," a blue-gray she cat replied. "I have faith in Bramblestar. Remember the Great Journey?"

"Yes, but Feathertail did not return from the trip, Bluestar," a dark gray she cat mentioned. "Don't forget Rippletail. He died while getting rid of the thing that was blocking the water."

"Oh, Yellowfang," a flame colored tom replied. "Remember, this is for the sake of ALL of the Clans, even SkyClan. I am confident that they will succeed."

"There will be hardships along the way, Firestar," Brackenheart said. "A cat is bound to well, you know."

"Then I'll accompany them on their journey," Firestar replied. "If that does happen, I will lead them to StarClan. I will watch over them and help them, especially with that new Twolegplace built over our old territory."

Bluestar nodded. "I think that's a good idea. You better go now," she added. "They're on their way after we gave them the tree sign."

Firestar rose to his paws, his eyes twinkling. "Wait until they see what StarClan tricks I can do!"


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Bramblestar's POV

"Almost there!" Bramblestar panted. "Just over this-WHOA," he said as he was pummeled over by a massive ball of fur.

"Stop right there!" the attacker snarled.

"Moon, stop! They are not intruders!" a voice said. The cat padded forward. Bramblestar recognized her instantly.

"Brook!" he purred. "Nice to see you."

Brook purred back, "You as well, Brambleclaw. Now, Moon, get off him. I'm sorry about her behavior."

Moon stepped off him and Bramblestar shook his pelt. "Um, Brook, I'm actually Bramble _star_ now," he said.

"Congratulations! You're the leader!" Brook exclaimed. "But that would mean Firestar is dead, is he?"

Bramblestar nodded sadly.

Rowanstar spoke up, "We can catch up later. Brook, lead us to your camp, please."

Brook nodded, "One more thing. This very rude to-be is Moon That Rises Over Mountain, or Moon. She's training to be a prey-hunter."

Brook led them to the cave behind the waterfall and into the camp, where they bumped into a cat.

"Crag, is that you?" Bramblestar asked.

"Well, my name's Stoneteller, remember?" he said, amused. "Greetings, Brambleclaw."

"My name is Bramble _star_ now," Bramblestar said.

Stoneteller nodded. "Which only means..."

"That Firestar is dead," Bramblestar finished.

Stoneteller nodded, "That must be very hard for you."

He paused, then turned, "Stormfur?" he called out.

Stormfur came bounding towards the group. "It's the Clan cats!" he exclaimed.

"Yes. I would like for you to provide them with nests and prey. They must be exhausted," Stoneteller said.

Stormfur dipped his head, and then turned towards the group. "Right this way."

"How's Leopardstar?" Stormfur asked Bramblestar as they made their way to their nests.

"Actually, Leopardstar now walks with StarClan," Bramblestar replied sadly. "Mistystar is the new RiverClan leader, along with Reedwhisker as deputy."

Stormfur gasped. "What of Blackstar and Onestar?"

"Onestar is still alive, as you can see him over there, but Blackstar is dead. Rowanstar is the new leader."

"Rowanclaw? Wow," Stormfur mewed. "That's shocking, to be away for so long and just hear some very dramatic news."

"Yes," Bramblestar agreed.

"So what brings you to these mountains?" Stormfur asked. "Do you need any help?"

"No, actually, it's some sort of prophecy. You see..."

After Bramblestar finished explaining everything, Stormfur nodded. "The to-bes are messing around also. Fish, well, Fish That Leaps From River, hasn't been doing his cave-guard duties. Swoop isn't having any luck controlling her to-be, and it's also probably going to be the last to-be she'll teach. Flower, Stoneteller's successor, doesn't look promsing at all."

Bramblestar nodded, "I understand, because it's happening to the Clans as well. Now, I should go talk to Stoneteller now. I wouldn't want him to be troubled by our stay here."

Stormfur nodded, "I'm sure Stoneteller would be alright with you here. But feel free to find him. He's probably in the cave with the pointed stones."

Bramblestar flicked his ear, "I'll see to him now."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Firestar's POV

Firestar settled down onto the Tribe of Endless Hunting's territory. The ground was different here, more of rock than grass. Firestar twitched his whiskers as he sat beside the previous Stoneteller.

"Why do you journey with them this time?" Stoneteller asked, his gaze full of curiosity.

"I feel that they should not be alone this time," Firestar replied. "I know one of them will join StarClan on this journey."

Stoneteller nodded as he rose to his paws. "It is now time for me to deliver my next sign to the current Stoneteller. Would you like to join me?"

Firestar nodded. "It would let me have time to give Bramblestar his sign as well."

Stoneteller replied, with a concerned gaze, "I only hope he is ready to accept what you have to show him."

"It is past time for it to be shown," Firestar started to walk over to the mountains. "Are you coming?"

Stoneteller got up slowly, "You cats with young hearts make it hard for me to keep up. Let's go."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar padded into the Cave with the Pointed Stones.

"Who's there?" Stoneteller jumped.

"It's just Bramblestar," he replied.

"You're just in time, Bramblestar. Come. What have you come to tell me?"

"Cats of the Dark Forest attacked us just last greenleaf by turning our Clanmates against us. Firestar died facing Tigerstar."

"He died a noble death," Stoneteller replied solemnly.

"He did. Anyways, they are visiting our apprentices once again. I believe the same thing may be happening to your to-bes as well," Bramblestar explained.

"Come to think of it, they are being very short tempered and disobedient lately."

"This is what I'm afraid of. The Dark Forest is back. I don't know why though."

"We have our own version of the Dark Forest: the Tribe of Endless Darkness. We should be hard on the younglings. If they are caught, they should be punished."

Bramblestar looks at Stoneteller, "No, that's not right. They haven't done anything will just push them to the side of the Dark Forest, or the Tribe of Endless Darkness, even don't know what they are up against. I think we should tell them what happened the last time the Dark Forest cats interfered with the Clans."

"No. I do not agree. Any cat caught with a Tribe of Endless Darkness cat will receive banishment."

"Stoneteller, the thing is, the Dark Forest cats only come because of a cat's emotions. They use and train that emotion to their advantage. What emotion? Hate, abandonment, jealousy, ambition, all sorts of emotions. They train them, and soon they will come back to fight us, stronger than ever. They make them think they are helping them in the daylight, but truly they are using them to fight against us."

Stoneteller looks distressed, "You dare threaten my loyalty to the Tribe? Of course not! Or would you…"

"No! But if you think about it, the feelings we had while we were growing up… it's hard."

"My cathood was hard, like all tribe cats, and we were born-"

"Stoneteller, think, if you were always the lowly apprentice, and you wanted strength, who could provide for it?"

"Well, I kind of understand where you are going with this…"

"Exactly. Put yourself in their paws. Some apprentices even think they are helping to improve their hunting skills when learning how to hunt, some thinking that they are helping the tribe to protect against rogues, and-"

"Understood. I must consult with the Tribe of Endless Hunting. It is late now. You should get some sleep."

All of a sudden, the Cave of Pointed Stones fill with a bright, glaring light. Bramblestar grimaces, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opened them, he saw two pale shapes were outlined in the light that seemed oddly familiar. Suddenly, Bramblestar gasped, "Firestar!"

"And Stoneteller!" the current Stoneteller continued.

"Yes, we are here," Firestar said, "We are here for an important message to tell you." All of a sudden, both of their eyes lit up, glaring bright white.

"Twelve on a journey will soon be number fifteen. Six leaders will stand ahead, but one will rise above them all. Six will become one. Defeat the darkness that will come, or else it will continue to corrupt for generations to come. But don't forget that all will once become six again."

Slowly, they started to fade away.

"No, don't go! We still have so many unanswered questions!" Bramblestar cried.

The scene slowly started to shift, and they were back in the Cave of Pointed Stones.

Stoneteller glanced at Bramblestar, "You know what this means now do you?"

Bramblestar nodded, "You must pick two other Tribe cats to journey with us, and together we must make our way to SkyClan."

Stoneteller turned his head back to the puddles, "How can this be? The Stonetellers never leave the cave, except to perform ceremonies. I only have one life, not the many lives you all have."

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he read the omen in the pool of water, "What… how can this be?"

"What is it, Stoneteller?" Bramblestar asked.

"The Tribe of Endless Hunting cats will grant me nine lives for the trip," he replied, incredulous, "I will be grateful to be able to keep serving my Tribe, even if I die once or twice."

He glanced at the pool again, and said, "They want you to sleep in here tonight with me, to help with granting lives. Firestar will be there to guide my ancestors."

Bramblestar padded closer to Stoneteller and laid down beside him, "Be prepared. Receiving lives is a great honor, but the process is very difficult, very painful. It will be worth it though, to live to see your Tribemates. Are you prepared?"

Stoneteller nodded, mixed emotions in his eyes, "They tell me I must lap at the water, and close my eyes."

"Then we will do just that," Bramblestar said, licking the water and closing his eyes, letting the darkness envelop him.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar opened his eyes. He was not in the the Cave of Pointed Stones anymore, but in Tribe of Endless Hunting! It looked different from StarClan. The ground was rocky and showered with snow. Many different cats were appearing through a fog. "Firestar!" Bramblestar exclaimed as he saw his fiery orange pelt through the fog.

Firestar turned towards Bramblestar, and nodded. His green eyes seemed to encourage Bramblestar on.

Five cats came out of the fog, and appeared right before Stoneteller.

"Stoneteller?" Stoneteller asked as a dark brown tabby with patchy fur approached.

Bramblestar looked at Stoneteller, confused.

"I meant the previous one," he said to Bramblestar, answering his unspoken question.

"Yes, it is me," he replied, standing right in front of the current Stoneteller, "I am here to give you your first life."

"Prepare yourself," Bramblestar murmured.

"I give you a life of exploring beyond the borders of your Tribe," Stoneteller announced, "This journey will be hard and dangerous, but it will give you many lessons to learn, many stories to tell."

Previous Stoneteller touched noses with the current Stoneteller. The current Stoneteller cringed, claws unsheathed, gripping the dirt.

When the old Stoneteller moved back, the current Stoneteller looked mystical, as if he'd seen everything beyond the mountains. As Stoneteller walked away, another cat approached.

"Flight of Startled Bird, is that you?" Stoneteller asked, incredulous, as a brown she-cat approached him.

"Yes, my son, it is me," she said, her eyes sparkling, "I have been asked to give you a life. With a lot of thinking, I have decided that with this life, I give you tireless energy. The journey is long, and you must persevere to save the Tribe and the Clans."

Stoneteller grimaced as this life was given. Bramblestar could imagine him, running, forever, into the distance.

As this life faded, another cat stepped forward as Flight went back to join the ranks of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. A familiar looking silver gray tabby she-cat stepped forward. Bramblestar blinked. Was that-

"Feathertail?" he asked, blinking. The last time he had seen Feathertail, it was at his own leadership ceremony.

Feathertail walked out of the ranks of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Her eyes shone as she walked up to Stoneteller.

"Crag-I mean Stoneteller, with this I give you the courage to do what is necessary to protect your Tribe."

After they touched noses and Stoneteller lifted his head, he looked like he was able to take on a Twoleg monster in battle. A huge dark brown tabby tom with a ragged pelt walked out of the mist that surrounded the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Tears started to roll out of Stoneteller's eyes.

"Brother," he cried out. "Is it really you?"

 _Brother?_ Bramblestar thought. _It can't be-_

"Talon of Swooping Eagle?" Bramblestar rasped.

Talon smiled.

"Hello, my brother, my friend. Stoneteller, I have come to give you a life of trust. Trust the decisions your heart makes and never question it, as I once did with the Clan cats.

A dark ginger she-cat padded up to them.

"Hello, Crag- I mean Stoneteller."

Stoneteller's eyes widened. "Swoop, it's you!"

"Yes, and I will now give you a life for cooperation. The journey will only succeed if everyone works together." With that, she touched Stoneteller's nose.

Bramblestar watched as Stoneteller cringed, seemingly having to do the right thing, even if it was hard. As Swoop walked away, a white she-cat approached. Bramblestar watched as Cloud with Storm in Belly approached Stoneteller.

"Ah, Stoneteller," Cloud said, "The first, of all Stonetellers known, to receive lives. Even though I am a conservative cat, I realize why granting you lives for this journey is important. My life to you is healing. Your knowledge of the many herbs and medicines will help with keeping a cat alive during the journey."

Cloud touched her nose to Stoneteller's, and Bramblestar watched as Stoneteller received his sixth life.

As Cloud left, Bramblestar padded closer to Stoneteller, "You can do this," he murmured. "Only three more lives left."

Out of the shadows, Bramblestar could see a white cat with orange patches approaching. Bramblestar twitched his whiskers; he'd never seen him. Judging by the look on Stoneteller's face, Bramblestar knew that he didn't know who the mysterious cat was either.

"I am Fallen Leaves, one of the ancient cats who died drowning in the underground river at the lake when it overflowed."

Bramblestar remembered when Heathertail, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze went to save the kits trapped underground, in the same supposed cave system that Fallen Leaves had died in.

"That's the river that killed me," Fallen Leaves said, reading Bramblestar's mind. He turned to Stoneteller. "I give you the life of courage. Use it to help your Tribemates go through the worst of the worst."

Fallen Leaves slowly touched noses with Stoneteller. Stoneteller shuddered for a heartbeat, grimacing with the illusion of pain touching him.

Bramblestar glanced at the fiery pelted cat, and he could see Firestar focusing intently on the ceremony.

When Fallen Leaves walked away, Bramblestar was surprised to see Firestar himself walk up to Stoneteller, "I know I was never a Tribemate," Firestar said, "But your ancestors have granted me permission to give you a life. I thank them for the honor. My life to you is wisdom. Make the right, wise decisions on the journey to SkyClan."

Firestar placed his muzzle on Stoneteller's nose, and Bramblestar watched as his former mentor and leader gave Stoneteller a life. Somehow, seeing Firestar give Stoneteller a life was like seeing himself receive a life.

As Firestar finished giving Stoneteller a life, he glanced over at Bramblestar. His piercing green eyes seemed to give a message: _Stay safe, journey well._ Bramblestar felt comforted by the former leader's unspoken message.

A white she-cat came up to Stoneteller to give him his last life. "You may not recognize me," she said, "But I am the first leader of the Tribe of Rushing Water. Many, many moons ago, Jay's Wing, an ancient sharpclaw, founded the Tribe, and made me the first Teller of the Pointed Stones. As time went on, many things have changed, but the traditions of the Tribe have always remained the same. However, it is necessary that you must break tradition and join the Clan cats on the journey, but I do not want you to forget your customs. My life to you is honoring old traditions. Although things must change from time to time, don't ever forget the old ways."

Half Moon stepped forward and touched her nose gingerly to Stoneteller's nose. Bramblestar watched as the last life was given to Stoneteller.

As Half Moon withdrew from Stoneteller, Bramblestar murmured, "Congratulations, Stoneteller. You now have nine lives. You are strong, powerful, and will continue to serve the Tribe."

Stoneteller nodded, lifting his head up weakly. Bramblestar remembered his own ceremony, how he was already tired from the Great Battle, how tired he felt during and after the Leadership Ceremony. But it was all worth it, worth it to serve his Clan.

Half Moon spoke, "You mustn't speak of this ceremony to anyone. It could cause a great disturbance to the Tribe. Note that this is the only special occasion that we will grant lives; this will never happen again, unless something like this occurs again."

Firestar padded forward and spoke, "Congratulations for receiving nine lives. You are now fit to go on the journey. Rest, and make your way to SkyClan tomorrow."

The deceased cats faded away, and it was just Bramblestar and Stoneteller left in the area, "Stoneteller, are you alright?" Bramblestar asked.

Stoneteller made his way to Bramblestar, "That was the most excruciatingly painful thing I've ever been through, but this is so special. This has never happened before; it will probably not happen again. I feel so honored, so _chosen_ , to receive nine lives. I thank you, your ancestors, and my ancestors for this occasion."

"I felt that way too," Bramblestar replied. "It is time to wake up, and get some real rest. You will need it for the journey tomorrow."

Stoneteller nodded, "Thank you for being here with me."

With that, Bramblestar laid down, closed his eyes, and woke up from the Tribe of Endless Hunting.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Squirrelflight's POV

The thorns swished at the camp entrance as the dawn hunting patrol came back. The warm sun soaked into Squirrelflight's pelt. She was dozing near the warriors den. Everything was in line since Bramblestar left. Nothing more than a fox that accidentally strayed into the border. Amberwing and Blossomfall had easily chased it away.

Squirrelflight got up and padded toward the patrol. "How is hunting?" Squirrelflight asked Thornclaw, the leader of the patrol.

"The prey is running well," Thornclaw answered as he swung his head toward the patrol. Three shrews, a blackbird, and a thrush dangled from the cats' mouths.

"Good" Squirrelflight said. _We will sleep well fed tonight_ , she thought.

Then suddenly the entrance opened up and the leader of the dawn border patrol came. Rosepetal came through with three WindClan warriors: Featherfoot, Hootpelt, and the acting leader Harespring.

"We are here to see Squirrelflight. Privately," Harespring mewed.

"I am here. What do you want?" Squirrelflight asked politely, but firm. Harespring signaled Squirrelflight to the leader's den. Squirrelflight nodded and led him to the leader's den. "Go back to the patrol and tell them everything is being handled," Squirrelflight said to Rosepetal.

When they reached the den they sat down. "Don't stray too far from the leader's den," Harespring instructed his patrol.

Squirrelflight and Harespring settled down on the cold stone floor. "I wanted to talk to you about the apprentices. Their mentors keep complaining about their behavior. They say that they're acting funny. I think that all the deputies should come to the Island the next quarter-moon to talk about how to help control the apprentices," Harespring mewed.

Squirrelflight thought about this for a moment. As much as she would like to discuss the apprentices, the thought of leaving the Clan while Bramblestar was away made her nervous, "Have you talked to any of the other deputies?" she inquired, keeping her tone neutral, not wanting to sound wary or accusing.

"No, you're the first I've come to," Harespring responded, matching Squirrelflight's tone, "Though I do intend to visit the others after this, so would you care to accompany me and hear their opinions on the matter?" Apparently her tone hadn't kept her thoughts as secret as she had hoped.

Squirrelflight sighed, "I'm just worried about leaving the camp alone, if I attend the meeting. What if someone ambushes us?"

Harespring nodded, deep in thought at her words, "I understand, but who would attack you? You should accompany me right now to see if the others agree to meet, and as long as they do, we should have no problem."

"But in accompanying you now, I would be leaving the camp." Squirrelflight pointed out.

"True," Harespring mewed, shaking his head at her ignorance of the obvious flaw, before adding, "What if you had two of your warriors accompany me? They could hear what the others have to say and you would never even have to leave camp."

"Perfect, I can have two cats ready to go with you in a moment," Squirrelflight said, standing up, "And I'll send a patrol to your camp tomorrow to give you my answer."

"I'll tell my patrols to expect them."

The two deputies exited the den, and Harespring signaled to Featherfoot and Hootpelt to come follow him.

Squirrelflight scanned the hollow, and her gaze fell on Brackenfur, "Brackenfur, I want you to pick one other warrior and listen to what the other deputies have to say about Harespring's suggestion."

Brackenfur nodded and headed towards the warriors den. Heartbeats later, he emerged with Birchfall at his side.

"Great. Now you two can accompany Harespring to the meeting, and tell me what goes on."

Brackenfur and Birchfall nodded, and followed Harespring's patrol out of camp.

Squirrelflight sighed. 'How in StarClan does Bramblestar do this?' she thought.

She decided to go and check on Briarlight. She made her way over to the medicine cat den, where Briarlight was helping Leafpool sort herbs.

"Hi, Leafpool," Squirrelflight purred, greeting her sister, "and hello, Briarlight. Where's Jayfeather?"

"He went out to collect more horsetail," Leafpool replied, organizing some leaves. "Briarlight is such a great help around camp. Without her, ThunderClan wouldn't feel the same."

Briarlight glowed with pride as she heard Leafpool's words. "Well, it's not that big of a deal."

"It's wonderful that you're helping so much," Squirrelflight said, complimenting her. "You're one of the most hard working warriors I know."

"Have you heard about Cinderheart and Lilyheart?" Leafpool whispered, eyes sparkling.

"No… what is it?" Squirrelflight asked, curious.

Leafpool leaned in towards her. "They're both expecting kits!"

"What?!" Squirrelflight exclaimed. "I know Cinderheart's mate is Lionblaze, but Lilyheart?"

"Lilyheart and Snowpelt seem to be getting along nicely," Leafpool remarked, whiskers twitching amusedly. "Cinderheart should be moving to the nursery soon, but I'll give her a few more days of warrior duties. You know what it feels like to not be able to help out."

Squirrelflight remembered the days when _she_ was in the nursery; everyone was bringing her prey, fixing her nest, and she felt useless around her campmates.

"That's a good idea," Squirrelflight said. "We'll have more warriors for the Clan now. That's wonderful! Snowpelt will be ecstatic. I wish Lionblaze could be here for Cinderheart."

Suddenly, Squirrelflight heard someone shout. "Help! A Twoleg has taken Jayfeather!"

Squirrelflight whirled around and charged out of the medicine cat den, finding Berrynose panting in the hollow's clearing.

"Where was Jayfeather taken from?" Squirrelflight asked, her head whirling.

"I scented him near the abandoned Twoleg nest. Some Twoleg must've gone there, saw Jayfeather, and taken him," Berrynose replied.

"Quickly, where is the rest of your patrol?" Squirrelflight asked.

"They're near the Twoleg den, searching for him," Berrynose replied.

"Lead me there."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Firestar's POV

Firestar walked around the Tribe of Endless Hunting territory. It was peaceful here, and the snow drifted down from the endless sky. Suddenly, bushes rustled somewhere behind him. A familiar scent hit his nose. "You can come out now Stormfur."

Firestar turned around and saw the dark gray tom slide out of the bushes that were behind him. "Was I that easy to spot?" Stormfur asked.

"You were like a badger lumbering through the forest. You need to catch up with your stalking skills," Firestar said, with a shimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"I was raised in RiverClan, remember?" Stormfur mewed. Then he asked, "So why was I sent here?"

Firestar's gaze darkened.

"The cats that came from the Clans are on there way to SkyClan, a great Clan that was driven away because the Twolegs destroyed their territory, and they had to move to a new location. I brought back the Clan, but something is coming, something dark. All the Clans, including the Tribe, need to work together and travel to SkyClan to defeat the darkness."

Stormfur blinked. "How is this possible?"

Firestar padded over to the edge of a pool of water. "Come here, Stormfur, and look."

Firestar watched as Stormfur padded up to the pool, and took a look at what it portrayed. He watched as Stormfur's face grew more and more horrified at what the Dark Forest cats had done the Clans.

"So… they're at it again. And the Dark Forest has somehow found a way to contact the Tribe of Endless Darkness," Stormfur muttered.

Firestar nodded. "Stoneteller will depart at dawn. You will need to help Stoneteller's successor, Flower take care of the Tribe."

"Why do you tell me this?" Stormfur asked.

"The Tribe cats in the Tribe of Endless Hunting do not usually appear to their Tribemates in dreams," Firestar explained. "They have asked me to help deliver the message."

Stormfur nodded. "I will be honored to serve my Tribe."

"Even if we don't share the same skies anymore, may StarClan light your path," Firestar said.

"And yours as well," Stormfur replied.

Stormfur disappeared from the Tribe of Endless Hunting as soon as those words were uttered.

Firestar blinked, then swiftly ran and disappeared over the Tribe of Endless Hunting's territory.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Jayfeather's POV

' _The new sounds, the new smells_ ,' Jayfeather thought. A Twoleg had saw him at the abandoned Twoleg nest and picked him up. The Twoleg was carrying him somewhere. He fidgeted a lot, trying to make it let go, but wriggling made it tighter and harder to breathe.

' _Even if it did let me go_ ,' Jayfeather thought, ' _Where will I go? I am probably out of ThunderClan territory._ '

He heard a clicking noise, followed by the soothing sound of a creek. A dog started barking and the Twoleg put him down on something soft. He started to walk the soft grass-like thing. It kept snagging in his claws, so he sheathed them. He bumped into something, and it was as hard as a rock.

"Jayfeather? Is that you?" someone asked.

Jayfeather whirled around, unsheathing his claws. The voice sounded oddly familiar. "Who are you, and where am I?" he snarled.

"Don't you recognize me?" the cat asked. "I'm Jessy!"

Jayfeather twitched his ears. He remembered Jessy from many moons ago, when her nest had been flooded, and she came to live in ThunderClan, "So it looks like I'm with your Twolegs right now, aren't I?"

"Yes," Jessy said. "How did you end up here? My nest is far away from ThunderClan camp."

"A Twoleg saw me, scooped me up and took me here," Jayfeather said. "That's all I know."

Jayfeather sighed. He should've been at his Clan right now, taking care of it, but instead he was _here_ , in this Twoleg nest. With Jessy.

"You want to go back," Jessy said.

Jayfeather nodded. "The Clans are going through some serious trouble. I can't afford to be here."

"I know how to get back to ThunderClan from here," Jessy said.

"Let's go right now then."

"No, you're exhausted," Jessy retorted. "You need some rest."

Jessy wrapped her tail on Jayfeather's back, slowly guiding him to her nest. They moved slowly around the house, and suddenly Jayfeather felt something feathery soft and sat down. After they got settled, Jessy started asking questions

"So, how is ThunderClan? You said there was trouble," Jessy asked, with a flutter of curiosity in her eyes.

"It's none of your business," Jayfeather was trying to hide the glint of worry in his eyes, but Jessy caught it.

"Nothing bad happened, right? Is Bramblestar okay?" she asked, worry replacing her gaze.

Jayfeather shifted uncomfortably. How did she do that? A twinge of jealousy formed in his chest as he recalled the days where he could enter the dreams of other cats.

"Well, there is trouble for the Clans yet again," Jayfeather admitted.

Jessy gasped, "Not another flood, is it?"

"No, it's worse than a flood. The Dark Forest is coming, once and for all. They have risen again, and are haunting the dreams of our apprentices."

Jayfeather got up, "I really need to head back now. Squirrelflight is depending on me to keep an eye on the apprentices."

"How can you keep an eye on them if you're blind?" Jessy said jokingly.

Jayfeather glared at her.

Then she grew serious, "All right then, we'll go. Can you handle it? This nest is really far away from the Clans."

Jayfeather flexed his claws. He _had_ to be strong enough. "I can handle it. I need to get back to camp before anything bad happens."

"Okay then. Stay close to me, and follow my voice. We're right in the heart of Twolegplace, and there are lots of other dangerous cats around, so we need to be careful."

Jayfeather padded towards Jessy, and together they made their way outside. After being in the Twoleg den, Jayfeather found it comforting to be outside, feeling the crisp grass beneath his paws, hearing the birds sing.

"There's a fence up ahead, and we're going to jump on it on the count of three. One, two, three!"

Jayfeather bunched up his hindquarters and sprang up, landing neatly on top of the fence. He heard a thump to his right, and knew that Jessy had made it up as well.

"Okay, head to the right, and I'll tell you when to get off."

Jayfeather followed Jessy, being careful to place his paws exactly on the lining of the fence. He didn't want to fall off, and possibly land in a yard full of dogs. That thought kept him moving.

"Are we almost there?" Jayfeather asked.

"In a moment. We're going to have to jump off soon and continue on the ground. Stay close to me; those troublesome kittypets that were bothering ShadowClan during the flood are nearby."

Jayfeather nodded and kept walking. The fence's surface was jagged, and each pawstep made him wince.

"Okay… and jump off to your left!" Jessy said.

Jayfeather bounded off of the fence, grateful to feel the ground beneath his paws. He sniffed the air. These scents smelled familiar… he had smelled them on the pelt of Bramblestar when he came back from battling the kittypets.

"They're close," Jayfeather growled, "Should we go another way?"

"I'm afraid this is the only way. The other paths lead away from the forest, into other parts of the Twoleg world. It's dangerous, too many monsters." Jessy replied. "Let's go before they get here."

"And just what do you think you're doing here?" a cat snarled from behind them.

Jayfeather stiffened. Why did they have to come now? He _had_ to get back to camp as soon as possible!

"We're just passing through, Riga," Jessy replied calmly.

"Just passing through?" another cat hissed. "You mean, _trespassing_."

"We just need to get to the forest, Ziggy," Jessy said, impatience in her voice. "We don't mean to steal anything."

Jayfeather flexed his claws, preparing himself to fight.

"Oh, _really_ , now?" Riga said. Jayfeather could pawsteps circling around him. He tasted the air. More cats were coming. This couldn't be good.

"Yes, really. We don't want to cause any trouble. Just let us go on our way." Jessy said desperately.

"And just what are you going to do in the forest? Hunt in our territory?" Ziggy said. "You know what happens when cats steal from what is ours."

"Just let us go-," Jessy said before she was cut off. Jayfeather heard a scuffle happening between Jessy and another cat. He unsheathed his own claws, bracing himself for a fight.

A cat pounced on him, claws scoring his back. Jayfeather hissed and swiped, his claws meeting the empty air. The cat swiped for his muzzle, and Jayfeather felt a searing pain on his nose. He swung his claws out again, and managed to hook on to a pelt of fur. Feeling satisfied, Jayfeather reached with his other paw and hooked his claws into the pelt of fur. The cat shrieked, tore away from Jayfeather's claws, and bounded away.

He scented more cats, and soon Jayfeather was met with a fierce group of claws and teeth, tearing away at his pelt. He tried in vain to bat them away.

"What's the matter, blind cat? Trying to _fight_ us?" he heard Riga taunt. Jayfeather turned angrily, pouncing and leaping everywhere, trying to battle the kittypets.

"What is going on here?" a voice asked.

Immediately, the cats stopped fighting Jayfeather. He relaxed, then opened his mouth, trying to find Jessy. He padded towards her. She was panting, and Jayfeather could smell blood.

"What is the meaning of this?" the cat asked again.

"These two were trespassing, Victor," Ziggy spat. "They were trying to go to the forest, which is _our_ territory, not for others to come and go as they please."

"Hey, aren't you the cat who caused us a lot of trouble?" Victor asked. Jayfeather scented him coming closer, circling them. "Jessy, isn't it? And who are _you_?"

"I'm Jayfeather," he said, unsheathing his claws.

"Ahhhh it's a _Clan_ cat," Victor said disapprovingly. Then Jayfeather heard his pawsteps stop. "Take them to camp. Tomorrow, we'll decide what to do with these vile creatures."

"Come on, you heard him," he heard Riga said as he poked Jayfeather with a claw. Jayfeather twitched his whiskers in annoyance, his anger seeping through his veins. He helped Jessy up, and they limped together, surrounded by kittypets, heading away from the forest.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Leafstar's POV

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather by the Rockpile to hear what I have to say!" Leafstar proclaimed.

Ever since Sharpclaw had visited her, things had gotten better in SkyClan. The greencough outbreak had subsided, leaving the cats healthier than ever. She was now here on the Rockpile, about to perform four warrior ceremonies, Waspwhisker standing at the bottom next to it.

"SkyClan is ready to accept four new warriors here among us. Badgerpaw, Talonpaw, Foxpaw, and Gingerpaw, come forward."

The four apprentices bounded forward, whiskers twitching with excitement. Leafstar remembered becoming an official member of SkyClan. She stared at amusement as the apprentices shook with excitement.

"Harveymoon, Mintfur, Cherrytail, and Harryfur, do you think that these apprentices are ready to become warriors?"

All four senior warriors nodded. "They are truly ready to become warriors of SkyClan," Cherrytail said.

"I, Leafstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. Badgerpaw, Talonpaw, Foxpaw, and Gingerpaw have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn."

She turned to face the apprentices, "Do you four promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," all four apprentices said simultaneously.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you four your warrior name," she turned to face Badgerpaw, "Badgerpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Badgerpelt. StarClan honors your bravery and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

She turned to Talonpaw, "Talonpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Talonfoot. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

Leafstar gazed at Foxpaw, "Foxpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Foxtail. StarClan honors your forethought and toughness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

Gingerpaw was last, "Gingerpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Gingerstripe. StarClan honors your grace and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

"Badgerpelt! Talonfoot! Foxtail! Gingerstripe!" the Clan cheered.

Leafstar saw Plumwillow and Egg make their way towards the newly named warriors, congratulating their sons and daughter. Leafstar felt nostalgic as she remembered naming her own kits.

She leaped down from the Rockpile, and saw Waspwhisker nodding in approval. "Those were really good names," he mewed.

"It took me a while to find the perfect name," she replied.

"Not as long as deciding your own kits' names," he said tauntingly.

"Well, they have to be special too!" Leafstar said.

Billystorm padded up, "Good names, Leafstar! Now all they have to do is their vigil."

Leafstar snuggled up to Billystorm, "Thanks."

She turned to Waspwhisker, "Go and start assigning some patrols. We'll need some fresh prey and our borders guarded."

Waspwhisker nodded and started to call out names for patrols.

Leafstar padded towards the nursery, where her daughter, Firecloud, was resting. "Do you know when they're due?" she purred, seeing her daughter's swollen belly.

"Frecklewish says not for another quarter-moon," Firecloud replied. "I do hope they'll come easily," she joked.

"It'll be okay. I'll be here when the time comes," Leafstar said soothingly. "Sandywind must be proud. I heard him boasting about how his kits will be the perfect warriors."

"Of course he is," Firecloud mewed amusingly. "I would be too."

"Oh I can't wait! Soon SkyClan will have more kits."

"Yeah, the nursery was feeling empty ever since Copperpelt and her kits had moved out."

Leafstar remembered delivering the apprentice ceremony to Copperpelt and Icicletail's kits: Lavenderpaw, Peanutpaw, and Dustypaw. Dustypaw, of course, had become Frecklewish's apprentice, collecting herbs and helping any cat that was hurt. Lavenderpaw had become Sagepelt's apprentice, and Peanutpaw had become Fallowfern's apprentice. They were all learning quickly, and hunting for the Clan.

"It does seem empty," Leafstar agreed. "But when your kits come, the warriors will be tripping over them once again."

Firecloud purred, "It'll be wonderful to have such beautiful and cute kits around once again for the elders to entertain."

"I'll be back soon," Leafstar said, heading for the exit.

"Come visit me again soon!" Firecloud said.

Leafstar exited the nursery and scanned the Clan. Most of the cats had gone out on patrol. She spied Dustypaw carrying a bundle of herbs toward the elders den, probably comfrey to ease their creaking bones. She saw Sandywind out of the corner of her eye, entering the nursery with a sparrow in his mouth, Firecloud's favorite kind of prey. Leafstar felt thankful that Firecloud had such a wonderful and caring mate.

"Leafstar!" Sagepelt called. "We're going to give the apprentices an assessment to see how they're doing. Can you help us observe them and give them some advice?"

"Sure, I'd love to," Leafstar mewed. "What are they going to do?"

"Oh, just a hunting assessment," Sagepelt replied as they headed towards the forest. "We're going to see if they've got their bird-hunting techniques down."

Leafstar nodded, "Okay. Let's get going."

Leafstar followed Sagepelt as they made their way through the forest, where Lavenderpaw, Peanutpaw, and Fallowfern were waiting.

"Leafstar," Fallowfern dipped her head, "thank you for coming. These apprentices are getting better and better at hunting everyday, and we want to see their progress. Would you mind assessing these two?"

"Not at all," Leafstar replied.

"Thank you," Fallowfern replied. She turned toward the apprentices, "I want both of you to hunt today, and find the elders a juicy, tasty bird to eat. Be careful, and remember what we taught you. Lavenderpaw, head towards the Sandy Gorge. Peanutpaw, you can hunt near the river. We'll be following you, but you won't be able to see us. Ready?"

The apprentices nodded eagerly.

"Begin!" Fallowfern exclaimed.

The apprentices bolted towards their respective hunting places. Leafstar waited until Fallowfern and Sagepelt started for their apprentices, then turned and followed Fallowfern.

Leafstar padded through the trees, spotting Peanutpaw heading towards the river. Peanutpaw jumped, clawing his way up the trunk. Soon, he was balanced on a branch, and Leafstar could see that his gaze was focused on a thrush in the tree. She watched as Peanutpaw crept up, silently and stealthily, making no noise.

Just as Peanutpaw was about to spring for the thrush, there was a shriek. The thrush flew away, startled, and Peanutpaw jumped in surprise and tilted off the branch. He swung his front legs and hooked his claws onto a branch, and managed to lower himself down the tree. Leafstar rushed towards Peanutpaw, and she could see Fallowfern hurrying towards him as well.

"Peanutpaw, are you all right?" Fallowfern asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, just shaken," the apprentice said. "It's the cat that shrieked that I'm worried about… it sounded like Lavenderpaw."

' _Lavenderpaw!'_ Leafstar thought. "The scream came from the Sandy Gorge!"

She turned to Peanutpaw, "Go back to camp and alert Frecklewish and Waspwhisker. Ask them to send a patrol to the Sandy Gorge."

Peanutpaw nodded and sprinted. Leafstar turned towards Fallowfern. "Let's get moving."

They hurtled through the trees, jumping over gnarled roots and swerving around trees. Leafstar ran as fast as she could, stretching her legs wider. Fallowfern matched her pace, his breath heaving.

They reached the Sandy Gorge, where Leafstar found Sagepelt hunched over Lavenderpaw. He was speaking to her in soft, concerned tone.

"It'll be all right. I'm going to get help. Frecklewish will help you."

Leafstar rushed to Sagepelt's side. The sight of what happened made her cringe. Lavenderpaw's back leg was bent at the wrong angle; it looked like she had broken it.

"What happened?" Leafstar asked.

"Lavenderpaw was stalking a starling," Sagepelt said, "She pounced, but misjudged the branch, and fell from the tree. Her leg's broken."

"It'll be okay," Leafstar said to the shaken apprentice, "Frecklewish and Dustypaw will be here soon; they'll help you."

"What happened?" Leafstar heard Frecklewish ask from behind her.

Leafstar backed away and turned around, finding Frecklewish, Dustypaw, who was carrying a bundle of herbs, Wildfoot, Talonfoot, and Harveymoon.

"Lavenderpaw has a broken leg," Leafstar said.

Frecklewish and Dustypaw padded closer. As Frecklewish examined the leg, Dustypaw began unwrapping the bundle of herbs.

"Wildfoot, fetch me some sticks. Dustypaw, hand me some bindweed, cobwebs, and rush," Frecklewish ordered.

Wildfoot raced off to find sticks while Dustypaw handed Frecklewish the herbs. Frecklewish started to bind up her leg. "Watch, Dustypaw. This is how you bind a broken leg."

Wildfoot returned with some sticks, and Frecklewish put the sticks next to Lavenderpaw's leg and used bindweed, cobwebs, and rush to tie the sticks to the leg, so that the leg would be immobilized.

"There, stand up now, Lavenderpaw," Frecklewish said.

Sagepelt bent down and helped Lavenderpaw up. Lavenderpaw winced as she stood up. Talonfoot and Harveymoon moved closer to Lavenderpaw to help support her.

"Don't put your full weight on it," Frecklewish warned. Then she turned to Dustypaw, "What herbs do you put in a poultice to help a broken leg heal?"

Dustypaw thought for a moment, "Um, stinging nettle, broom, and comfrey?"

"That's right!" Frecklewish exclaimed. "You'll make a great medicine cat one day."

"And you line a nest with comfrey to help it heal faster," Dustypaw added.

Leafstar saw Frecklewish glow with pride, "Echosong would be so proud of you."

"It's only because I have the best mentor," Dustypaw replied.

Leafstar twitched her whiskers at the courtesy and respect Dustypaw showed. He was certainly different from his littermates.

Her thoughts drifted back to what Sharpclaw had said. Oh, how she _missed_ him, her faithful, honorable, deputy. ' _He would have made a fine leader.'_ she thought. ' _But who are these cats that I will meet? Will it be someone like Firestar? Or perhaps someone like Stick and Cora?_ ' Whoever they were, Leafstar would be prepared to meet them.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Bramblestar's POV

"Cats of the Tribe, I will have to leave to go on a journey with the Clans. The Tribe of Endless Hunting has told me so, and I will follow their command," Stoneteller announced.

Bramblestar looked up at him as he made his announcement. He noticed that all the other Tribe cats looked at him, worried.

"Are you sure?" Snow asked. "What about my kits?"

"Yes, the previous Stoneteller told me so," the current Stoneteller replied. "Your kits will be fine, as the whole Tribe will look after them as their own."

The Tribe settled into silence, digesting this new, shocking information. Bramblestar understood how sudden all of this was. His own Clanmates reacted just like this.

"Flower That Grows on Mountain will be in charge while I am gone," Stoneteller said, "and Stormfur will help her."

Flower looked shocked at the news, her eyes wide, "But Stoneteller, I believe I am not ready yet."

"You will have to be ready one day, Flower," Stoneteller replied. "I won't be here forever. Stormfur will be there to assist you, as well as the whole Tribe. Take care of all your Tribemates. I believe you can do this."

"I will do my best then, Stoneteller," she replied, holding her head high.

Stoneteller scanned the crowd of cats, "Rain and Flight will come with me on this journey."

Rain That Passes Quickly and Flight of Startled Heron stepped forward as Stoneteller headed for the cave entrance.

"I must depart now," he mewed. "I don't know when I will be back, but I will be. Have faith in me; this is for the good of all catkind."

Bramblestar and the rest of the Clan cats headed towards the cave entrance as Stoneteller finished his announcement. Stoneteller took the lead as he lead the cats out of the Tribe's camp.

"Safe journeys, Stoneteller!" Bramblestar heard Flower meow behind him, "May the Tribe of Endless Hunting watch over you."

The rest of the Tribe wished Stoneteller a similar farewell. Their voices gradually faded as the group headed farther away from camp.

"Which way, Bramblestar?" Stoneteller asked.

Bramblestar looked towards where the tree sign had come from, "This way," he said as he took the lead. The group followed close behind.

Bramblestar remembered when he was journeying back towards the Clan to warn them of the Twolegs's destruction of their old home. Squirrelflight, Squirrelpaw then, Crowfeather, Crowpaw then, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt had bonded on the journey. He remembered the exact path they had walked, even though it had been many moons since he walked in his old pawsteps.

They journeyed well into the night, stopping only to hunt and relieve themselves. None of the cats complained, not even Rowanstar, as they scrabbled down cliff faces and jumped over wide, gaping gorges.

As the sun set and the moon rose into the sky, Bramblestar could see the Thunderpath that led to the old forest. The stars shone brightly, and Bramblestar could feel that even here, somecat was watching, guiding them, keeping them safe.

"Let's settle for the night," Stoneteller said.

Bramblestar felt a wave of exhaustion. Traveling on the mountains made his paws sore and his legs ache. He quickly followed the others into an alcove of rocks that sheltered them from the cold outside, and curled up with his Clanmates. He spotted Dovewing, who seemed to be sitting a bit close to Tigerheart, but shrugged it off, as the alcove didn't provide much room for personal space. He rested his head on his paws, shut his eyes, and fell asleep, dreaming of a certain flame colored, dark ginger she-cat.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Squirrelflight's POV

"His scent leads to here," said Berrynose as he was leading Squirrelflight to the abandoned Twoleg nest where Jayfeather disappeared. Berrynose was standing at trampled spot on the grass. "A Twoleg scent seems to be mixed with his. It seems like he was taken by them."

"Why would the Twolegs come this way?" Molewhisker asked. "Isn't this supposed to be an _abandoned_ Twoleg nest?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point right now," Squirrelflight said. "We need to find Jayfeather. Berrynose, gather the rest of your patrol. We're heading back to camp right now."

Squirrelflight waited as Berrynose called out to the rest of the patrol to return to camp, then raced back to camp, the patrol right behind her.

"What would Firestar do? What would Bramblestar do?" she muttered under her breath, trying to come up with a solution to rescue Jayfeather. "I should go and address the Clan first, then talk to Leafpool about what I can do. I can't let Jayfeather get into any danger."

Squirrelflight entered the ThunderClan camp and raced towards the Highledge. She paused, looking at all the cats of the camp. They had already started to gather around the Highledge when they noticed her up there.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge to hear what I have to say," Squirrelflight announced.

All the cats that weren't gathered at the Highledge were quickly making their way over to where Squirrelflight was standing. Squirrelflight noticed that Brackenfur and Birchfall were already back; she'd have to talk to them later about what Harespring said.

"Today, Jayfeather was out collecting herbs, and has appeared to be taken by a Twoleg near the abandoned Twoleg nest," she said.

The Clan murmured, concerned for their missing medicine cat. Squirrelflight glanced at Leafpool, and she appeared calm, despite the bad news.

"I want all cats to remain alert for any Twolegs from now on," Squirrelflight continued. "Patrols must now have at least five cats. No cat will leave camp unaccompanied. Apprentices will train together. Berrynose, I want you to gather your patrol, and go find Jayfeather, whatever it takes. If any cat stops you, tell them that this is an important mission."

Berrynose nodded and started to gather his patrol together for a rescue mission. Leafpool raced to her den to give them traveling herbs. Squirrelflight glanced at them briefly before refocusing her gaze onto the rest of the Clan.

"Stay away from the Old Thunderpath as well," Squirrelflight said. "The Twolegs might be using it again, and we don't want any other cats taken."

Squirrelflight jumped off of the Highledge, concluding the announcement. The cats started to head back to their respective tasks as Squirrelflight headed towards the medicine cat den.

"Leafpool?" Squirrelflight asked, entering the den.

"I'm right here," Leafpool replied, entering the den behind her. "Is there anything you need?"

"What do I do?" Squirrelflight asked, trying not to be desperate. "I can't just stand here and not help. I want to go rescue Jayfeather, but I do not want to leave the camp unguarded."

"Jayfeather's fate lies in StarClan's paws now, Squirrelflight," Leafpool said. "We must trust that they will help return him safely. For now, you must focus on the Clan while Bramblestar is gone."

Squirrelflight nodded, comforted by her sister's words, "Thank you, Leafpool. It's so hard to be a leader. I don't know how Bramblestar does it."

"With time, things will get easier, and you will know how to handle everything," Leafpool said. "It was like that for me."

"Then StarClan help us all," Squirrelflight replied as she exited the medicine cat den.

"StarClan help us all," Leafpool echoed.

Squirrelflight looked around the hollow, and spotted Brackenfur eating near the warriors den. Staring at his mouse, Squirrelflight's stomach rumbled. She grabbed a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile and sat next to Brackenfur.

"So, how did the meeting with Harespring and the other Clans go?" Squirrelflight asked.

"We all met at the Island," Brackenfur said. "Harespring had gathered all the other deputies and led them there. He was talking about how his apprentices were all out of control, and ways we could get them back under control. We all talked, and Reedwhisker suggested that the medicine cats should go to the Moonpool and consult with StarClan first, and every cat agreed with that."

"Thank you, Brackenfur," Squirrelflight said, finishing off her sparrow.

"Anytime," Brackenfur replied as he went back to eating his mouse.

"If we don't get Jayfeather back, he won't be able to be there with Leafpool," Squirrelflight muttered under her breath.

She headed back towards the clearing, where the other warriors were waiting patiently for her. Squirrelflight started to organize which warrior would go into which group in her head before she made her formal assignments. She stopped, gazed at the cats, then spoke.

"I know that Jayfeather is missing, but now, more than ever, we must keep a watchful eye on our borders, watching for Twolegs, and keep the Clan well fed and alert," she said. "Fernsplash, you will lead a patrol along the ShadowClan border with Ivypool, Whitewing, Bumblestripe, and Sorrelpelt. Cherryfall, lead a patrol along the WindClan border with Brackenfur, Stormcloud, Dewfur, and Mousewhisker."

As the border patrols gathered together and left camp, Squirrelflight finished organizing the hunting patrols, and put herself in Snowpelt's hunting patrol. As she followed Snowpelt outside, she couldn't help but wonder: _This is exactly like what happened to Graystripe. I hope it doesn't take moons for the patrol to return with him, safe and sound. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. StarClan, keep him safe._


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Jayfeather's POV

"Psst!" a voice hissed.

Jayfeather sat up, annoyed. They had just been taken into Victor's camp, and he made them stay inside a den that felt smooth, but hard, guarded by the cat that was whispering at them. Jessy was sleeping, recovering from the earlier battle. Jayfeather was checking on her every few moments, making sure her wounds were healing. He did not want to be bothered at this very moment.

"What is it?" he whispered back. "Does Victor want us so he can make fools out of us again?"

"You'll just have to trust me," the cat mewed back. "When it's dark, and all the cats are sleeping, I'll help you escape."

Jayfeather twitched his ear. "You want us to get caught, to give Victor more of an excuse to kill us?"

"No!" the cat whispered, clearly frustrated. "I want to help. I'm sick of being in Victor's gang. Heard about the wild cats in the forest. Always wanted to join."

"We'll see about that, if you keep up your end of the bargain," Jayfeather replied.

"Midnight it is, then," the cat whispered back. "By the way, my name is Fusion. What's yours?"

"I thought every cat in this horrid camp knew by now," Jayfeather said. "I'm Jayfeather."

"Well, I was somewhere else when Victor brought you to camp," Fusion said. "Well, nice to meet you, Jayfeather."

Fusion crept back to his guard position while Jayfeather sat and watched over Jessy. He thought about how the whole ThunderClan camp was worried about his disappearance. Squirrelflight probably sent a patrol to look for him.

 _I've got to get back to ThunderClan as soon as possible,_ Jayfeather thought. _I'll do whatever it takes, even if I need some rogue to help me get back home. As for Jessy, well, I can't let her get into any more danger for me. She needs to go back to her Twolegs, where she's safe._

Jayfeather felt Jessy stir beside him. "Where are we?" she mumbled.

"We're in Victor's camp," Jayfeather said. "They took us here after Victor discovered us in his territory."

"I'm so sorry," Jessy whispered. "I never meant for this to happen."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Jayfeather replied. "This cat called Fusion wants to help us break out of Victor's camp. You in?"

"Totally," Jessy answered. "But should we really trust this cat?"

"There's no other choice we have," Jayfeather said. "Look, once we're out of Victor's territory, I want you to go back home. You've helped me enough already."

"I need to make sure you get all the way home," Jessy replied immediately. "What if Fusion was lying and, I don't know, led you astray?"

"Fine, but if anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself," Jayfeather replied. "I just don't want you to get hurt any more than you already have."

"Now all we have to do is wait until midnight," Jessy whispered, excited.

"Okay, it's time, everyone's sleeping," Jayfeather heard.

Jayfeather raised his head up, blinking away his sleepiness. He could scent Fusion right in front of them, impatiently waiting. Jayfeather shook Jessy awake.

"It's time to go," Jayfeather whispered urgently.

Jayfeather felt Jessy shift, then rise. Jayfeather followed suit, waiting for Fusion's next step.

"All right, follow me. I'll get you back to the forest," Fusion said.

They walked gingerly out into camp, making sure to keep their pawsteps quiet. Jessy guided Jayfeather with her tail, while Fusion scanned the clearing for any sign of an awake cat. Jayfeather didn't hear any sounds of any other pawsteps, other than their own; he could hear the cats sleeping, and Jayfeather's whiskers twitched with amusement when he heard one loud snore that sounded suspiciously like Victor's.

"Everyone's asleep, so let's get out of here as quick as we can," Fusion whispered.

Jayfeather followed Fusion and Jessy out of their camp, careful to head in the direction of their breathing. He didn't want to make a dumb mistake and wake the whole camp up.

"Okay we're out of camp now. Let's get moving," Fusion said.

Jayfeather picked up his pace, making sure to keep Jessy's tail tip on his forehead at all times. He felt confident, and started to move faster, until he tripped over something and fell.

"Jayfeather! Are you all right?" Jessy asked. "Sorry about that."

Jayfeather nodded.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget you're blind. You move as well as a normal seeing cat!"

"Let's just get moving," Jayfeather grunted as he got up.

The group continued following Fusion as he made their way out of Twolegplace. Jayfeather could feel a faint scent of the forest. They were almost there.

"Okay, there's a fence up ahead," Jessy said. "Three, two, one, jump!"

Jayfeather bunched his haunches and jumped onto the fence without any trouble. He could hear Jessy jumping up, landing beside him. Jayfeather opened his mouth for Fusion's scent; he was on the other side of the fence already.

"The ground in front of you is clear. You can jump off," Jessy said.

Jayfeather jumped off, landing neatly on his paws. Jessy followed behind almost immediately.

"Wow, the forest looks so familiar," Jessy mumbled.

In the distance, Jayfeather heard a series of shouts and cries. He twitched his ears. They were angry shouts, coming from inside the Twolegplace.

"Victor knows!" Fusion exclaimed. "Both of you, follow me now. We need to get out of here!"

Fusion zoomed off into the forest, and Jayfeather followed, with Jessy bringing up the rear. He tried not to stumble or trip, but it was inevitable, and soon Jayfeather was lagging behind them.

"Come on, Jayfeather!" Jessy shouted as she helped him up for the StarClan-knows-how-many-times time.

Jayfeather gritted his teeth, pushed himself up, and kept running. Soon, he smelled the scent of ThunderClan.

 _Almost there!_ he thought. _Just a few more pawsteps._

Jayfeather barged through the thorns and skidded to a stop. Something didn't feel right. Instead of smelling the numerous amounts of cats that lived at camp, there were only four distinct scents from ThunderClan.

"Berrynose, is that you? Molewhisker? Thornclaw and Birchfall? Where are all the other warriors?" Jayfeather asked, confused.

"You know these cats?" Fusion asked.

"Oh, it's the ThunderClan warriors!" Jessy exclaimed.

"Jayfeather, are you all right?" Berrynose asked. "I recognize Jessy, but what about that strange cat over there? He isn't an enemy, right?"

"No Berrynose, he's a… friend, Fusion, who helped me escape Twolegplace," Jayfeather explained. "We need to catch up later though, because there are some _very_ angry kittypets right behind us."

"Prepare for a fight!" Berrynose said. "And protect Jayfeather."

"I don't need pro-," Jayfeather exclaimed before being pushed behind someone.

"You've been taken by Twolegs already," Thornclaw mewed. "We don't want our medicine cat to get taken again."

Jayfeather sighed and flopped down onto a nest one of the cats had made. He could just sit here and be useless while other cats fought for him.

"ThunderClan, and Jessy and Fusion, attack!" Berrynose exclaimed as Victor's gang burst into the makeshift camp.

Jayfeather tried to keep out of sight, sticking to the edges of camp, but making sure not to stray away. He opened his jaws, scenting the air for any other danger around.

 _Okay, I think I'm good,_ Jayfeather thought. _Maybe I should be checking the others for wounds._

Jayfeather collected a few cobwebs and headed back into the makeshift camp, scenting for blood. The battle was still going strong, but it sounded like the ThunderClan cats, along with Jessy and Fusion, were winning. He heard some cats yowl with pain, fleeing from the battle. Jayfeather made his way over to Birchfall, where he scented blood.

"I'm fine, Jayfeather," Birchfall said as he saw Jayfeather coming closer. "I'm kind of busy right now. You should stay hidden."

"Birchfall, if you would rather lose your paw, then it's fine by me," Jayfeather said as he stepped back.

"Fine, as soon as I get rid of this mouse-dung," Birchfall said. After a series of strikes, blows, and audible grunts, Birchfall's opponent finally gave up and went sprinting back towards Twolegplace.

"Stay away, you mouse-heart!" Birchfall exclaimed as he padded over to Jayfeather.

"Are the insults really necessary?" Jayfeather asked as he wrapped Birchfall's paw in cobwebs.

"Yeah, they help by making the enemy distracted, and it boosts your morale," Birchfall said.

"Suit yourself," Jayfeather said, seeing no point in shouting something meaningless.

"Looks like the battle's almost over," Birchfall said. "I'll be back. Molewhisker, I'm coming!"

Jayfeather twitched his whiskers in amusement as he listened to the battle. Most of the cats were gone, as there wasn't as much noise as there was before. He could hear insults coming from Birchfall at every scratch he made on a cat's pelt. Soon, Victor's gang was gone, and the ThunderClan cats, plus Fusion and Jessy, were victorious.

"Okay, let's get you home now," Berrynose said as he padded closer to Jayfeather.

"I'm coming," Fusion and Jessy said simultaneously.

"You don't need to be here anymore," Berrynose said. "You two have done enough."

"Let them come," Jayfeather said, surprising Berrynose. "They should be able to know that I will be safe again among my Clanmates."

"All right then," Berrynose said. "Let's get some sleep while we can now, and at dawn, we'll head back to ThunderClan."


	41. Chapter 41

**_Sorry about not updating often, but it's been hard to write, mainly because of school and writer's block. We hope that you all enjoy this chapter. There will be more to come! Comments, suggestions, and feedback is greatly appreciated!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 41**

Bramblestar's POV

Bramblestar woke earlier than all the other cats. He felt restless, impatient for everyone else to wake up. As he paced around outside, he thought about the Clan life he had left behind at the lake. Were his kits strong and ready to be warriors? Was Squirrelflight doing well without him? How was the Clan going on in general? These questions swirled around in Bramblestar's mind, and he couldn't shake them away.

 _I hope Tigerstar hasn't done anything yet,_ Bramblestar thought.

"Bramblestar?" a voice asked.

Bramblestar turned around to find Dovewing emerging from the cave. She too seemed as restless as he was, eyeing the horizon warily.

"Yes, Dovewing?" Bramblestar asked back.

"I was just thinking about something," Dovewing replied. "Why is Tigerstar so ambitious? He has tried to defeat the Clans many, many times, and every time he fails, but he continues to try to plot our downfall. Why does he do this? Why can't he just leave us in peace?"

Bramblestar was surprised by her question. He had never really given thought about why Tigerstar kept trying to take over the Clans again and again. "I guess he's just really ambitious. He was never satisfied with the power he had, and he always wanted more."

Dovewing nodded, then turned to look at the horizon. "I've always wondered what ThunderClan looked like back in the old forest. Why did the Twolegs have to ruin everything?"

"Things just happen for a reason," Bramblestar replied. "You seem very curious today."

Dovewing shrugged, "I just want to know more about ThunderClan's past."

There was a scuffle of noise as more cats exited the cave. Bramblestar saw the rest of the cats file out and stretch their aching limbs.

"Wow, how did you two get up so early? I was tempted to sleep in," Tigerheart remarked, half joking.

"We wake up early like this all the time. The prey-hunters sometimes go out at dawn, when the birds think no one can see them," Flight replied.

"When will we start moving?" Dovewing asked. "I want to get a nice headstart, so that we will cover enough ground to make some progress before dusk."

"You're thinking about dusk already?" Bramblestar teased. "The sun has just risen! But you do have a point, Dovewing."

"Let's hunt, and then we'll get moving," Mistystar said.

The cats started to disband, and Bramblestar headed off to a nearby clump of trees, accompanied by Dovewing and Lionblaze.

"I see a bird up in that tree!" Dovewing exclaimed.

"We're not even close yet," Bramblestar said. "How can you see them?"

"I don't see anything," Lionblaze agreed.

"Does this mean… can it really be? My powers must be coming back!" Dovewing said.

"This can only mean one thing: The Dark Forest and its inhabitants draws near," Bramblestar said.

"I don't feel anything yet," Lionblaze said. "We'll see if I have my powers back when we fight someone."

"All right, go off and hunt, and don't take too long," Bramblestar said.

Bramblestar headed deeper into the woods while Dovewing and Lionblaze branched off into a different part of the forest. The fresh scent of pine and oak trees mingled with each other. Bramblestar opened his jaws wide, tasting the air for prey. He caught the scent of a mouse, dropped into a hunter's crouch, and crept closer. He pounced and killed the mouse with a quick bite, thanking StarClan for the prey he had caught. He returned to camp with the mouse in his jaws. The RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and Tribe cats had already gathered around to eat. Bramblestar padded over to Lionblaze and Dovewing, who had just finished eating.

"I can see and hear so much!" Dovewing exclaimed. "I see a huge Thunderpath, a forest, and a very big Twoleg den next to another really big den. There's a moor nearby, and next to that is a gorge. Across the gorge, there is a forest, and next to the forest there is a Twolegplace. Across the Thunderpath, there's a marshy area."

"The old forest!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "I wonder if it's changed much."

"You can see our old home?" Onestar asked.

"And the carrionplace?" Rowanstar asked. "It's been a long time since I've seen the old forest."

"How can you see it from here?" Rain asked as she padded towards Dovewing. "Even with my sharp eyesight, there is nothing but a speck."

"I have special abilities that let me see and hear things that are far away," Dovewing explained. "I, along with Lionblaze and Jayfeather, have these abilities to help defeat the Dark Forest from taking over the Clans."

"That's so cool, Dovewing," Tigerheart mewed. "I wish I had powers like that."

"Be careful what you wish for," Dovewing replied.

Bramblestar stood up, "If everyone has finished eating, we should start and head out towards the old forest. Dovewing, lead the way."

As everyone stood up to follow Dovewing, Bramblestar couldn't help but feel excited. He only hoped that things had not changed too much. _Oh StarClan, I hope our old home is still there._


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Squirrelflight's POV

Squirrelflight lay in her nest, unable to sleep. All she could think about was her missing foster son.

 _Oh StarClan, please, please bring him back home safely,_ she prayed for what seemed like the thousandth time.

A few heartbeats later, she heard pawsteps approaching. Squirrelflight got up and raced across the clearing to the entrance. She stopped a few mouse-lengths back, so she wouldn't get in the way of the cats. One by one, the cats stepped into the hollow. Berrynose, Birchfall, and Thornclaw emerged, and following them Jayfeather. To her surprise, Jessy walked into camp behind Jayfeather, along with a black tabby cat with ragged looking fur all over his pelt.

"Oh Jayfeather, you're safe," Squirrelflight said. "Thank StarClan the patrol found you."

"Actually, without Jessy and Fusion's help, Jayfeather wouldn't have even made it out of Twolegplace," Thornclaw said. "Fusion helped them escape from Victor's camp."

"Thank you both for helping Jayfeather," Squirrelflight said. "You both are free to sleep in the warriors den for the night. Birchfall and Thornclaw, find them a place to sleep."

Birchfall dipped his head, then beckoned with his tail for Fusion and Jessy to follow him. As they made their way to the warriors den, Squirrelflight turned to Berrynose. "Good work finding Jayfeather. Give me a report of what happened in the morning. For now, get some rest. You deserve it."

Berrynose nodded and padded away. Squirrelflight turned to Jayfeather, "Are you all right?"

Jayfeather nodded, "Just a few scratches, nothing too serious. Also, do you know where Leafpool is? I don't smell her here."

"Oh, tonight is the half-moon," Squirrelflight said. "Leafpool will be back in the morning. For now, go to your den and get some rest." She licked a bit of dust of of Jayfeather's pelt. "And tend to your pelt, it's a little messy and ruffled up."

"Squirrelflight! I'm fine. I'll clean myself," Jayfeather said.

"All right then," Squirrelflight said, amused as she walked away. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," Jayfeather mewed as he walked into the medicine den to clean the dust from his ruffled fur.

I wonder how he can act as if the whole twoleg incident never happened at all? Squirrelflight thought, Although, doesn't he act like that for everything?

"Hey Squirrelflight!" Thornclaw said as he came back from the warriors den. "Who's going to be leading the midnight patrol? We need to make sure our borders are safe from Twolegs."

"Oh! I guess I was worried about Jayfeather," she replied, embarrassed. All she could think about was her sister's kit, and she had forgotten about the Clan! "I think that Ravenpaw, Lilyheart, and Cloudtail could go. I will go and wake them up."

Thornclaw dipped his head in agreement, "Okay. Should we get fresh moss for Jessy and Fusion too?"

"Of course. Jayfeather should have some in the medicine den in the back."

"All right," said Thornclaw as he made his way to the medicine den.

Speaking of missing cats, how is Bramblestar doing? She wondered as she started towards the warrior's den. I hope he's safe.


	43. Chapter 43

_**Thank you all so so so much for over two thousand views! I can't actually believe that people read and appreciate our story :3 Please leave a favorite and a comment. Feedback is greatly appreciated. On with the chapter!**_

 **Chapter 43**

Jayfeather's POV

Jayfeather was in the medicine den, wide awake. He had finished licking his wounds, and started to go to sleep when he heard pawsteps outside his den.

"Jayfeather? Do you have some fresh moss for Jessy and Fusion?" Thornclaw asked.

"Yes, Thornclaw. Here you go," said Jayfeather as he slid a pile of moss from the back of the den into Thornclaw's paws.

"Thanks Jayfeather!" Thornclaw mewed as he left.

Jayfeather went back to his nest. He sniffed and detected a very faint whiff of his sister's fur on the back of the den wall. _How had her scent remained here?_ he wondered. _I wonder how she is in StarClan?_

Jayfeather's stomach rumbled. It had seemed like moons since he last had prey. He walked over to the fresh-kill pile and chose a plump mouse. It felt so tender and delicious, or at least to Jayfeather. Hunger made everything taste better, so it was hard to tell.

He heard Squirrelflight in the warrior's den talking to Lilyheart about the midnight patrol and heard Lilyheart race across the camp to wake up her apprentice, followed by a sleepy, mumbling apprentice, Ravenpaw, and a tired, groaning warrior, Cloudtail

Jayfeather walked back into the den to sleep, surprised to hear Briarlight tossing and turning. She was mumbling in her sleep, probably chasing a mouse, and pushed some moss with her paw.

Jayfeather, out of habit, wondered what she was dreaming about. _I wonder if we'll ever get our powers back again?_

To his surprise, he was plunged into Briarlight's dream! He saw her chasing a mouse across a sunny field of grass. He dove into a bush to avoid being seen. He could hardly believe it!

 _What did I do? My powers must be back. But how? Wait! What about Dovewing and Lionblaze?_ he thought. _They must have their powers too! This means that the Dark Forest draws near once again!_

Briarlight suddenly turned around and ran fast and quickly in the field. _That's her greatest dream, to walk and run._ he thought. _But now, I have a new problem all together. How did I get my power?_

Then he zoned out of Briarlight's dream and was back where he was, about to go to sleep.

It was going to take him a while to acknowledge what he just experienced, his powers.

He curled up and went to sleep, hoping for StarClan to give him answers.

And when he was deep in slumber, he saw his sister, Hollyleaf.

"Hollyleaf? Is it you?" he asked.

"Of course, mouse-brain!" his sister said with a smile.

"How are you in StarClan?" he asked.

"It's everything you think it is, happy, nice, but I need to tell you something Jayfeather. It's about Tigerstar," she said, her face serious.

"I've noticed that my powers are back. Have Dovewing and Lionblaze noticed this as well?" Jayfeather asked, curious.

"Dovewing? Yes. Lionblaze? Not yet, since he hasn't gotten into a fight. But StarClan is in chaos ever since Tigerstar came back! No Feathertail, no Halftail, and no Ashfur, and you know what happens when Tigerstar gets his paws on power," she said, fear in her eyes.

"So were we given our powers back to stop him? I mean, why else would my powers come back?" Jayfeather asked.

"Not just him, the Dark Forest itself," she said.

"But, how are we supposed to do it? It's not like he wi-" Jayfeather asked.

"I have to go now. StarClan will guide you, Jayfeather." she interrupted, starting to fade.

"Wait! I still have questions!" Jayfeather pleaded as she faded away.

Jayfeather woke up in his nest with one thought. _The Dark Forest is coming. The Dark Forest is coming..._


	44. Chapter 44

_**It's been a while since I did a a chapter on SkyClan. I particularly like writing about them because, since there isn't much info/books on SkyClan, I can twist the characters into what their personality should be like and who should be together, etc etc. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 44**

Leafstar's POV

"How is your leg, Lavenderpaw?" Leafstar asked.

"It only hurts a little bit," Lavenderpaw replied. "Do you know when I can go back to training?"

"Broken legs take time to heal," Frecklewish mewed. "You'll be back in traning in about a half-moon."

"Aww that's such a long time!" Lavenderpaw exclaimed, disappointed. "Peanutpaw will be better than me, and I won't be able to catch up!"

"Don't worry, Lavenderpaw," Dustypaw said. "You're a fast learner; I'm sure you and Peanutpaw will be even."

"I hope so," Lavenderpaw said.

Suddenly, a piercing scream broke the peacefulness of the sunset outside. Leafstar bolted outside, knowing immediately who had screamed.

 _Firecloud!_ Leafstar thought. _Hang on!_

Leafstar rushed towards the nursery and stopped at the entrance of the den. "Firecloud, it's all right. Frecklewish and Dustypaw will be here in a moment."

In a few heartbeats, Frecklewish and Dustypaw raced by with herbs in their mouth. They quickly entered the den. Soon enough, Billystorm, Harryfur, and Stormblaze had come.

"Will she be all right?" Harryfur asked, concern in his gaze for his sister.

"She'll be fine," Leafstar reassured him. "Queens are meant to do this. And once it's over, we'll have beautiful grandchildren."

"I can't believe we're grandparents already," Billystorm asked. "I hope she'll be okay."

Another agonized shriek rose from the nursery. Billystorm winced.

"She's got this," Leafstar said.

Leafstar spotted Sandywind hurrying towards the nursery. "I heard Firecloud's scream," Sandywind said, panting.

Frecklewish poked her head out of the den. "Billystorm, get me some sticks. Sandywind and Harryfur, get me some soaked moss."

Billystorm, Harryfur, and Sandywind raced off to find the necessary supplies for Firecloud. Leafstar inched closer to the mouth of the den.

"It's okay, Firecloud, take deep breaths," Frecklewish said. "This will all be over in a few heartbeats."

"Are you sure she's okay?" Leafstar heard Dustypaw ask. "She's in so much pain."

"This is what all queens must go through," Frecklewish replied. "But once the kitting is over, SkyClan will have brand new warriors. Now, feel her belly, Dustypaw. Can you tell how many kits are there?"

After a pause, Dustypaw mewed, "I think there's three. I can feel them squirming."

"Very good, Dustypaw," Frecklewish mewed.

Leafstar turned to see Billystorm and Sandywind rushing back with the supplies. She noticed that the Clan had come out of their dens and were listening to what was happening inside the nursery.

"Frecklewish! Dustypaw! The toms are back with your stuff," Leafstar mewed.

Dustypaw poked his head out of the nursery. "Bring them right inside, then go back outside," he said. "Leafstar, Stormblaze, please come inside."

Billystorm, Harryfur, and Sandywind dropped the supplies. After Dustypaw collected them, Leafstar and Stormblaze followed him inside. A stick was already clenched between Firecloud's jaws, and Frecklewish was by her side, encouraging her.

"Now!" Frecklewish exclaimed. "Push!"

Firecloud heaved, and a ginger and white she-kit slid out. Frecklewish bit the transparent layer off of the kit, and nudged her towards Dustypaw, "Lick her fur," Frecklewish commanded.

Dustypaw bent his head to lick the small kit, and Leafstar focused her attention back on Firecloud. "It's going to be over soon," she soothed.

"Here comes another one!" Frecklewish exclaimed. Firecloud's belly rippled, and a little pale ginger tabby she-kit came out. Leafstar bent over, removed the transparent layer, and started to lick her fur.

"And the last one!" Frecklewish said. Out of the corner of her eye, Leafstar saw a gray tom with white paws. Frecklewish motioned for Stormblaze to lick the tom, and she then proceeded to nudge the water soaked moss towards Firecloud.

"You did very well," Frecklewish said. "Three healthy kits! Congratulations."

Leafstar nudged the tiny pale ginger tabby she-kit over to Firecloud, then proceeded to get the other kits near Firecloud's belly. The three kits squirmed, then started to nurse from Firecloud.

"Good work, Dustypaw," Frecklewish mewed. "Even I didn't do that well during my first time at a kitting."

Dustypaw beamed. Leafstar looked over at the apprentice. _He has so much potential_ , Leafstar thought. _He'll become one of SkyClan's greatest medicine cats._

"You can come in now, Billystorm and Sandywind," Frecklewish called. Then she turned toward her apprentice, "Let's go now. You can bring Firecloud some borage later."

Frecklewish and Dustypaw left, and Billystorm, Harryfur, and Sandywind came to take their place. Sandywind rushed to Firecloud's side. "We have the most beautiful kits in the world," Sandywind mewed. "You can name the first one right there," he said, pointing to the ginger and white she-kit.

"What about Cedarkit?" Firecloud suggested tiredly. "She'll grow as big and strong as a cedar tree."

"That's a good name," Billystorm mewed. "What about that pale ginger she-kit?"

"She seems smaller than the rest," Harryfur commented.

"What about Littlekit?" Stormblaze asked.

"I don't know. What if other kits tease her about it?" Firecloud fretted.

"Well, Tinycloud has a name like that, but other warriors respect her," Leafstar commented. "Maybe if she has a name like Littlekit, she'll work harder and earn more respect from others. It's not the name that counts, it's the courage and spirit."

"Well, all right then," Firecloud said. "Littlekit it is."

"And what about that gray tom with white paws?" Sandywind asked. "I think Icekit would be a good name for him."

"Yes, Icekit is perfect," Firecloud murmered.

"Congratulations, Firecloud," Harryfur mewed. Others quickly added their compliments and best wishes towards the kits and then filed out.

"It wasn't so bad wasn't it?" Leafstar teased.

"The pain is worth it," Firecloud said. "These kits are going to be the perfect warriors."

"Yes they will be," Sandywind said, licking her shoulder.

"Get some rest," Leafstar said. "I'll come visit soon."

With that, Leafstar padded out of the nursery. _Thank StarClan that went well_ , Leafstar thought. But she couldn't shake off one thing, _If what Sharpclaw said was true, then what is going to happen? More cats will come, and he says they are friendly, but why are they coming? SkyClan has more than enough warriors, and we've just added Copperpelt, Icicletail, and Rocky to the Clan, and before them, Bellastripe and Rileyclaw. I must talk to StarClan. I must know what will happen._


	45. Chapter 45

_**Thank you guys so much for over 3,000 views! Only two chapters ago did we have 2,000 views. Wow. You guys must like this a lot XD.**_

 _ **This chapter is short, but it's kind of a major turning point. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 45**

Firestar's POV

The terrain was rocky, and as Firestar saw a familiar face as he was walking. "Sharpclaw!" Firestar shouted.

"It's good to see you again Firestar," Sharpclaw said. "I am expecting someone to come tonight. It was a long walk to come meet you here."

"Who?" asked Firstar. Instead of answering, Sharpclaw looked down and was looking at something, _No, someone,_ Firestar thought. Firestar caught who Sharpclaw was looking at. It was a gray tom-kit with white paws _._ Why was Sharpclaw staring at this innocent kit that was just born? "Who is that kit? Is he coming to StarClan?" Firestar asked, worried.

"Oh no, don't worry, Icekit will be fine. It is that he is special, along with three other cats. Icekit, along with four other SkyClan cats, will have special powers to stop the Dark Forest cats." Sharpclaw said, looking up at Firestar with soft eyes.

"What do you mean, will the Clans not fight the war with the Dark Forest?" Firestar asked confused.

"Don't worry, the Clans will fight," Sharpclaw replied. "It is just that in every Clan, including the Tribe, will have four cats that will have powers to help stop the Dark Forest from taking over. Icekit is one of them from SkyClan.

"Icekit will be visiting us," he continued, "and we are to help him with his power. I have sent a message to StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting, and we are to meet up ahead where old StarClan territory is. We just need to find the other cats with powers. Some of them are obvious though." Sharpclaw said looking at Firestar.

 _Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing._ Firestar understood that they were three of the four. _Then who is the fourth cat in ThunderClan?_

* * *

 ** _Well well well, things are going to get interesting! If you have any suggestions on cats and/or superpowers, please comment, and you may have a chance to have your cat/superpower to be featured! (Please make sure that the superpower is useful in destroying the evil forces that are arising!)_**


	46. Chapter 46

**This is going to be a long chapter**

 **"Thank StarClan!" I can hear you say in your head. "It's about time you posted a loooooooooooooooong chapter.**

 **Yes, it is. I had help making this chapter too, so shoutout to you, Snowfang and Lilyheart!**

 **ENJOY! AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT WHICH CATS FROM WHICH CLANS/TRIBES SHOULD HAVE POWERS AND WHAT KIND OF POWERS THEY SHOULD HAVE!**

* * *

 **Chapter 46**

Lilyheart's POV

It was sun-high, and Lilyheart was teaching Ravenpaw some battle moves.

"That was good Ravenpaw, but next time, tuck your tail between your legs so your opponent can't grab it and yank you back. Other than that, great job!" she said, impressed. Ravenpaw had made a lot of progress with her battle moves since they had started.

"Thanks Lilyheart!" she mewed with a hint of pride in her voice. "Can we do that again? I want to get it perfect!"

"I think that's enough for now. You can go and get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile." she told her. "You did excellent."

Lilyheart watched as her apprentice padded off into camp. _She's always so focused on being the best warrior she can be. Maybe it's because she's the leader's daughter, and he wants to show his father how great he can be? I don't remember any other apprentice that was this excited,_ she thought.

Lilyheart left the Sandy Hollow and started to follow Ravenpaw's scent back to camp. She was starting to feel tired. _It's only sun-high_ , Lilyheart scolded herself. _You need to go on more patrols._

"Help!" Lilyheart heard someone scream. _It's Ravenpaw!_

Lilyheart raced as fast as her paws could carry her, despite her being tired. As she ran closer to Ravenpaw, she smelled the scent of fox. With that, she quickened her pace. The trees became a blur as she raced through the forest.

Heartbeats later, Lilyheart arrived at Ravenpaw's side. Her apprentice was badly wounded, with a giant slash from her left shoulder to her hind leg. The fox still stood in front of them, it's jaws dripping with saliva.

"Run, Ravenpaw!," Lilyheart screeched, "Get reinforcements!"

Her apprentice nodded, her eyes wide, before she limped away. Lilyheart turned to face the fox, unsheathing her claws. With a jump, her claws made contact with the fox's ears, then the fox's back as she jumped past. She landed on the ground and spun back to meet the fox's angry face.

With a howl, the fox reached over to bite Lilyheart's neck. She feinted to the right, then moved left. As she passed by the fox, its claw snagged on her pelt, and then an agonizing pain broke out on her flank. She managed to scratch her claws against the fox's flank, even with the injury in her side. Even before she turned around, she heard the fox howl in agony.

As she turned around again, she saw the fox coming straight for her. She braced herself; this time there wasn't enough room to dodge the attack. The fox ran closer and was about to snap its jaws into her neck when the fox was shoved aside by a silver and white blur.

Lilyheart immediately sprang onto the fox again and slashed its underbelly. The fox cried out, and after a few more scratches, the fox sprang to its paws and fled the cats.

"Are you all right, Lilyheart?" she heard Ivypool ask.

Lilyheart looked up to find Ivypool, Cloudtail, and Bumblestripe surrounding her.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just got a little scratch on my side here."

"A little scratch?" Cloudtail asked. "Let's get Jayfeather and Leafpool to check on that before you decide if that's a _little_ scratch."

"Fine," Lilyheart replied. She took her first pawstep, and searing pain flowed through her side like a fire through a forest.

"Here, let me help," Bumblestripe said, supporting Lilyheart on her unscratched side.

"Thanks, Bumblestripe," Lilyheart mewed.

The group of cats slowly made their way back to the ThunderClan camp. Even with Bumblestripe supporting her, it seemed like moons had passed before they made it back into camp. Lilyheart could scent the cats in the hollow, and smell the worry that was coming off their pelts.

Lilyheart stepped through the entrance and into the hollow, where many other cats were gathered, looks of concern in their eyes.

"Great StarClan!" Lilyheart heard her mate, Snowpelt, say as he approached her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Snowpelt," she replied. "The fox ran away."

"Not before you dealt some nasty blows to it, I'm sure," Snowpelt purred.

"Of course," Lilyheart said. "That fox never had a chance."

"How long are you going to take to get to the medicine den?" Jayfeather said, interrupting their conversation. "Or would you rather just bleed to death?"

"I'm coming," Lilyheart said with amusement. "I'll talk to you later, Snowpelt."

"Okay," he said before heading away.

Lilyheart slowly made her way to the medicine den. She entered the den to find Ravenpaw in a nest, lying on her side.

"Hi, Lilyheart!" she greeted. "I went as fast as I could to the ThunderClan camp, and Squirrelflight sent a patrol of warriors to help you. I'm so glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you're safe too, Ravenpaw," Lilyheart replied. "Looks like we have matching wounds."

"Now that you mention it, it does," Ravenpaw agreed.

"We're going to need a lot of herbs for this large wound," Leafpool muttered. "Good thing it didn't go for your belly. You need to keep your kits safe."

"Kits?!" Lilyheart and Ravenpaw exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes, kits," Jayfeather replied. "You're expecting them soon."

 _Wait until Snowpelt hears about this!_ Lilyheart thought. _Kits! I can't believe it._

"You're going to need to stay in the den, both of you," Jayfeather mewed. "We can't risk getting both of your wounds infected."

"Aww, I can't do battle training! I can't be the best warrior!" Ravenpaw mewed sadly.

"If you want to be a warrior, you can't have infections," Leafpool replied. "And you'll be in here for only a few days."

"But what about Featherpaw, Ashpaw, and Sparrowpaw?" Ravenpaw said. "I can't protect them from Tigerstar!"

"I'll do that," Jayfeather mewed. "Now, stay in your nest. We don't want the poultices getting messed up."

* * *

"Oh no, her wound's infected," Lilyheart heard Leafpool mutter.

Lilyheart opened her eyes. It was midnight outside, and she could see the stars shining brightly. She turned her head and saw Leafpool and Jayfeather crouching over Ravenpaw.

"It must have been deeper than we thought," Jayfeather muttered.

"Make the poultice with marigold, horsetail, and goldenrod," Leafpool whispered.

"Is it bad?" Lilyheart asked, sitting up, suddenly worried.

Leafpool and Jayfeather exchanged a glance, wondering how much to tell her.

"I'm not going to die, am I?" Ravenpaw asked, looking very weak.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out," Leafpool said calmly, though her eyes were clouded with fear.

Lilyheart put her paw on Ravenpaw's shoulder. _If only I could help my apprentice…_

Lilyheart closed her eyes for a second, opened them, and stared in shock. The wounds that were on her and Ravenpaw had not only vanished, but they looked as if they were fully healed!

"What….? How?" Leafpool muttered.

"What happened?" Jayfeather said.

"Their wounds were healed! Completely! Right after Lilyheart put her paw on Ravenpaw!" Leafpool said.

"All I did was- ," Lilyheart began, but could not find words to describe what had just happened.

"Leafpool! Remember how Lilyheart's prey had no scratches, even though she killed it? It's an omen!" Jayfeather exclaimed, surprised.

"And that dream about three stars becoming four stars! Lilyheart, yo-" Leafpool began.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be a medicine cat. I just can't!" Lilyheart interrupted.

"No, no, no, not that. Remember the prophecy about Dovewing, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather? There's a fourth cat, and it's you!" Leafpool said.

"What?! How can that even be possible? I'm just a normal cat, and I'm expecting kits. I don't even know what's happening right now! What do I do with this power?!" Lilyheart exclaimed, panicking.

"Hey, I got sympathy if that's what you want," Jayfeather offered, half teasing.

"Well, how do I explain to the Clan about _this_?" Lilyheart asked, motioning to a healed scar.

"Yeah, me too. How do explain to my mother that I was healed in seconds?" Ravenpaw asked.

"Should we just say that Cinderpelt came in from and healed you?" Jayfeather suggested. "It makes things simpler."

"Okay then, I guess," said Ravenpaw reluctantly. "And what about Lilyheart's power?"

"Let's not tell anyone about her powers until we understand them," Leafpool said.

"Good idea," said Jayfeather. "And don't forget to tell Snowpelt about the kits at sunrise."

"Also, I think it's high time that we told you what's going on," Leafpool added. "Sit down, and listen to what we have to tell you."


	47. Chapter 47

_**Don't forget to submit suggestions for cats and/or superpowers!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 47**

Lilyheart's POV

Lilyheart's mind was racing. What would she do? She had just found out about two mind-blowing things: one, she was having kits, and two, she was part of a prophecy that would once again decide the fate of the cats at the lake! Lilyheart thought about the prophecy first. _My power is just healing, so what use would that be? They already have Jayfeather and Leafpool, and I can't touch the Dark Forest cats and say, "Oh, did Lionblaze hurt you again? It's all right, here, let me heal your wounds so you can attack him again!" I know I should consider myself lucky, but healing's a useless power, and my warrior training will just be a waste. I'm just going to have to stay at the camp with Jayfeather and Leafpool, and act like a medicine cat. And stay behind with… The Stick of the Fallen. Every time I see the Stick I'm reminded of my sister, Seedpaw. I am not sure about having my kits delivered by Jayfeather. He is known for being so crabby. I guess I could always ask Leafpool. Also, how am I going to break the news to Snowpelt? Now that I think about it, will Snowpelt be happy about it? I don't know if I-_

"Lilyheart?" someone mewed.

Lilyheart turned to find Ravenpaw sitting up. After Leafpool and Jayfeather had explained what was going on, Ravenpaw had immediately fell asleep again, while Lilyheart remained wide awake. It was now sunrise, and the camp was beginning to stir.

"Are you okay?" Ravenpaw asked.

"I'm fine, I'm just going to tell Snowpelt about the kits."

"He'll be so happy for you!" Ravenpaw exclaimed.

"Hopefully he will. And remember, don't tell anyone about my power," she said as she walked out of the medicine cat den.

"Good luck!" Ravenpaw exclaimed.

As she walked into the clearing, she realized that she was actually excited about telling her mate about the kits. She saw Snowpelt coming over, purring with happiness.

"I knew you would get better. You were always so strong!" he meowed.

"Can I talk to you in private?" she asked. "I don't want anyone's ears to hear us."

"Um, okay. Is everything all right?" he asked, worried.

 _He is going to be so surprised and happy about this!_ she thought as they walked out of camp. "Yes, everything's fine."

They walked in silence through the forest until they reached to the Sky Oak. Lilyheart sat down, and Snowpelt followed, sitting at the gnarly roots of the great big oak.

"Snowpelt… I have something to tell you," Lilyheart said, stalling.

"What is it?" Snowpelt asked, fidgeting. Lilyheart twitched her whiskers, amused by Snowpelt's anxiety. She waited a few heartbeats before saying:

"I'm expecting kits!"

"You are?!" Snowpelt said, ecstatic. "I thought you were going to tell me that we couldn't be mates anymore or something like that."

"Really? You think I would do that to you?" Lilyheart purred. "I wouldn't do that at all."

"This is great!" Snowpelt exclaimed. "We're going to have the best warriors ThunderClan has ever seen. Just watch!"

"Of course we will," Lilyheart replied. "Now, I must head back to camp. I don't want our kits to get hurt."

"I'll make sure you and the kits won't get hurt," Snowpelt said comfortingly.

Lilyheart and Snowpelt walked back to camp, talking, laughing, and joking with each other. She couldn't believe that she was so worried about Snowpelt's reaction to the kits. _Snowpelt is the best mate ever,_ she thought. _I'm so lucky to have him._

* * *

Later at dusk, Lilyheart walked into the medicine den.

"Leafpool?" she asked. "I was wondering, do I have to move to the nursery?"

"No, of course not. Your kits aren't going to come until 3 more moons!" Leafpool said, then she added, "Is Snowpelt making a fuss?"

Lilyheart smiled, "He already asked Squirrelflight to take me off patrols."

"Let him fuss over you a little bit. It's not every day a warrior hears that he's going to a father of a litter of kits." Leafpool mewed, smiling back. "You can still sleep in the warrior's den for another moon, then after that, you'll be in the nursery, and Snowpelt will be catching your fresh-kill.

"Oh, Squirrelflight wants to talk to you tomorrow about Ravenpaw," Leafpool added. "She wants to know whether she should either make Ravenpaw a warrior before you become a queen, or to give her a different mentor when you become a queen."

"Oh, all right. Thanks, Leafpool," she said as she bade the medicine cat good-bye. "I'll go talk to Squirrelflight."

Lilyheart walked out the medicine den and headed toward the warriors den. She saw the place where she and Snowpelt slept together, already lined with moss and soft feathers. Lilyheart noticed that her place had been lined with a bit more feathers than usual. She sighed, "Ahhh, those apprentices. News travels so fast." Lilyheart made herself comfortable and closed her eyes, but she could not fall asleep. She kept thinking about her powers and what would become of her. _I will not become a medicine cat,_ she vowed.

"Lilyheart?" She heard someone mew.

Lilyheart turned to find Squirrelflight standing at the entrance of the den.

"Let's talk about Ravenpaw," she said, entering the warriors den and sitting beside Lilyheart. Lilyheart nodded; it was time to get down to business.

"I think my kits have had enough training," Squirrelflight mewed. "They have shown true loyalty to the Clan, and have practiced long and hard on their battle and hunting moves. I think it's time that they should be warriors, don't you think?"

"I agree," Lilyheart mewed. "Ravenpaw is an excellent warrior already; she does every move perfectly. Ashpaw, Featherpaw, and Sparrowpaw are also doing extremely well."

"That is true," Squirrelflight agreed. "However, I think it would be best if we gave the apprentices one last assessment before they become true warriors of ThunderClan."

"Yes, then we can see all of their skills," Lilyheart said.

"It's settled then," Squirrelflight said. "I'll go talk to Amberwing, Blossomfall, and Hollyshade about the assessment. Are you well enough to attend?"

"Yes, Leafpool said I should be able to do warrior duties for another moon," Lilyheart replied confidently. "I'll be able to assess the apprentices."

"And tomorrow, we will have four new warriors of ThunderClan."

* * *

Soon the sun slid down the horizon and the sky began to get darker. Snowpelt entered the warriors den. Purring, he cuddled up next to Lilyheart and the scent of him washed over her, comforting her.

With Snowpelt nearby, the thoughts of her new power went away as happy thoughts came to her mind and entered her dreams. She saw three beautiful kits playing in the camp's hollow: two she-kits and a tom. ' _They must be mine!'_ she thought. The wind was rippling through her fur and it slowly became stronger. The kits stopped playing and the sky darkened. Shadows of far away cats started looming over them, and they started hissing. The kits backed in together in the center of the hollow, and then, the shadowy cats pounced for them.

"Nooooooo!" Lilyheart screamed and she dove forward to protect her kits.

Suddenly, Lilyheart jerked wide awake. ' _What could that mean?'_ she wondered, afraid. She glanced at Snowpelt, his sparkling white fur rippling as her mate breathed steady breaths. She got up and walked silently out of the camp, heading towards the lakeshore.

The lake shimmered with thousands of stars twinkling on the surface of the water. Lilyheart looked across the water, then looked back up at the stars, then to her slightly swollen belly. "So many things are happening at the same time," she whispered. Then she remembered her dream. "Was it a omen? Will my kits be in danger?" she asked, looking up at stars. The sky and water remained still, the stars shining brightly on the lake. "I guess we all are in danger, aren't we?" And the stars twinkled back in response.


	48. Chapter 48

_**Special thanks to Lilyheart, Snowfang, and Stormshadow for helping with this chapter!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 48**

Icekit's POV

' _Where am I?'_ thought Icekit.

He looked around. The trees were greener than the ones at SkyClan, and Icekit could smell a variety of prey roaming the grounds. Amidst the smell of tasty prey, Icekit could detect two scents that did not match any of the prey scents he knew already. _Is it a new kind of prey?_ he asked himself, sniffing the air.

"Hello, Icekit," a voice mewed behind him.

"Who's there?" Icekit asked as he turned around and found himself face to face with two starry cats. Then the gray tom with blue eyes said:

"Do you think Icekit is ready to hear his destiny, Skywatcher?"

"Yes, Cloudstar, the danger will come soon, he must know- you know- about Tigerstar and the Dark Forest," Skywatcher replied.

"Tell me what? Where am I? Is this StarClan? Am I dead?" Icekit asked, starting to panic.

"No, you aren't dead," Cloudstar said quickly, reassuring the kit. "You are dreaming, young one. I am Cloudstar, former leader of SkyClan, back when it was still part of the four other Clans at the forest."

"And I am Skywatcher. I helped Firestar and Sandstorm rebuild SkyClan again," Skywatcher said, his gaze never drifting away from the kit.

"But why am I here? I'm not dead, so am I just supposed to meet you or something?" Icekit asked, still confused about the main purpose of this visit.

"We are here to tell you something. Your destiny is unlike any other. Your path will shape the other cats' very own destiny. But you must remember this: There will be the time when the storm comes, and the ice will pierce the ground of the Clans," Cloudstar mewed, as he started to fade.

"Wait! Don't go!" Icekit wailed.

"Be yourself, and never let anyone change who you truly are," Skywatcher mewed, and then both cats had faded and Icekit found himself in his nest next to Littlekit and Cedarkit. He got up and headed towards Frecklewish's medicine den.

"Frecklewish?" he mewed as he walked into the medicine den.

"Yes, Icekit? You're up early. Did you graze a paw? Or get a thorn stuck in your pelt?" asked Frecklewish.

"No, I had this dream about Cloudstar and…" Icekit said, struggling to remember, "... Oh, yeah, and Skywatcher."

"Who?!" Frecklewish asked as she turned around, clearly surprised.

"Cloudstar and Skywatcher."

"How do you know their names?"

"I saw them in my dream. They told me something weird. They said 'There will be the time when the storm comes, and the ice will pierce the ground of the Clans.' Does that mean something?"

"I...I have been getting omens about these things. The sounds of cats dying, being torn apart, but there was always ice surrounding them. Always."

"Is that why you seem to be talking to Leafstar a lot?"

"Y-Yes. Icekit, you are not to tell anyone about this. I don't know what this means and I need to understand this before the Clan knows this. Understand?"

"B-Bu-"

"No 'buts' about it."

"Fine."

"Tell me about any dreams you have about StarClan. And I've got to go to Leafstar to tell her about this."

" I'm scared. What if Tigerstar is alive again? Will he come to kill me? Kill us all?"

"Don't worry. I know what you young ones think of Tigerstar. But he is _dead_."

" But I heard Cloudstar talk about Tigerstar to Skywatcher!"

"You are safe inside the camp. Do you think your mother would let anyone lay a claw on you? No. Now go back and get some rest, you must be tired."

"But what if he haunts my dreams? And besides, it's early in the morning. I just woke up."

"Fine, just get out of my den. I have to speak to Leafstar about this."

"All right," Icekit groaned, and turned around to exit the medicine den.

As he walked back toward the nursery, he noticed Peanutpaw heading towards his direction. His pelt was full of scratches, and his paw looked swollen.

"Peanutpaw, what happened?" Icekit asked, concerned. "It looks like you've been in a fight!"

"Nothing, Icekit," Peanutpaw said coldly. "It's none of your business."

"Um, okay…" Icekit mumbled. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"I'm fine, okay? Leave me alone," Peanutpaw replied curtly.

Icekit gave Peanutpaw one last glance before he resumed his journey to the nursery. _What is wrong with him?_ he thought. _Why all those scratches?_ _Maybe he had bees in his nest or something._ Icekit dismissed Peanutpaw's strange injuries and took a look around the gorge. The Clan was starting to awaken, and Icekit could hear his littermates' voices.

"Icekit! I can't wait to be an apprentice! I want to practice battle moves!" Littlekit mewed.

"Yeah! Come in the nursery! Littlekit made the biggest ball of moss ever! We can pretend that it's a rouge!" Cedarkit cried in agreement.

"Where were you this morning? When we woke up, you weren't there." Littlekit asked.

 _I wish I could tell you. I really do. But I promised Frecklewish not to say anything, and I have to keep my word._

"Oh, I was just walking around the camp and ran into Frecklewish. Then you guys woke up. I only woke up a few minutes ago." he lied.

"Well? Are we going to play SkyClan? I call Leafstar!" Cedarkit mewed.

"Awww! You always get to be Leafstar! In that case, I'm a rogue, stealing prey. It's fun when we attack each other," Icekit said, giggling.

"No! I don't want to Frecklewish _again_!" Littlekit whined.

"Hey, here comes the morning hunting patrol!" Icekit exclaimed, pointing his tail towards Sandywind, Macgyver, and Rockshade. "Let's go ask the warriors for a badger ride!"

"Yay! Why don't we attack them with our battle moves too?" Littlekit suggested.

"Totally! Three… two… one… _go_!" Cedarkit cried before they ran after their father.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Dovewing's POV

"I can't believe that this is what's left of the old forest," Bramblestar had mewed.

There were Twoleg dens everywhere, with Thunderpaths scattered across the land, bearing monsters that went faster than the quickest WindClan warrior. There were even kittypets around the place. A bit of ThunderClan and a small piece of RiverClan territory still remained, but other than that, the forest was gone.

 _I can smell the faint scent of ThunderClan, but how is that even possible? I must have only seen a portion of the territory that's untouched. But this is mind blowing, just… the Twolegs… have ruined everything!_

For a moment, the group was speechless, staring at the place where the Clans had started, destroyed.

 _This was where Tigerstar died, BloodClan's war, and even where Firestar joined ThunderClan, gone. Forever._

"I thought you said that our territory was still there, Dovewing," Rowanstar finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"I didn't," she replied. "I simply said I saw a bit of it. And I didn't know which part of the forest was ShadowClan territory, anyway."

"We made the Great Journey to the lake… for a reason." Bramblestar said, remembering all of the things that had happened in the old forest that he had called home.

"I wonder if StarClan can reach us from here by the old forest?" Tigerheart asked, curious of the place he had heard stories of as a kit.

"We could talk about this all day, but it's nearing nightfall. Does anyone have ideas for camp?" Mistystar asked, as the group started to realize about the time of day as the sun started to set.

"There's some untouched forest here. Some of us can stay and make nests while the rest of us go and hunt for fresh-kill." Onestar suggested.

"This forest seems familiar," Bramblestar remarked. "Almost as if this were like ThunderClan's old territory."

"I will help make nests, I guess." Dovewing said.

"Me too." Tigerheart said, as he gave Dovewing a look.

 _Ugghh! He wants to talk to me about my power! Can't he just give me my space?_

 _If he's alone with me he'll… well, actually, I guess I do need to vent. I haven't really talked to him much since my kits came, I guess I should give him a chance to talk to me._

"Okay…" Bramblestar said, giving Dovewing a look.

 _I know, I know, all right, Bramblestar? I already have Bumblestripe, so stop looking at me like that!_

As the cats left, Dovewing collected moss to make nests with, while Tigerheart kept glancing at her.

"If you want to talk, I'm fine you mouse-brain. Quit looking at me like that, it's creepy," she said.

"It's… hard to explain. You might think I…sound weird," he started.

"You can tell me. I haven't given you a chance to talk to me. What is it?" she asked, wondering what he might say.

"It's like I can disappear when I want to! I can vanish from sight!" Tigerheart said.

"That's impossi-", Dovewing had started speaking, but she couldn't see Tigerheart!

Then Tigerheart had reappeared right in front of her!

 _Was that like some power he had? I thought that only Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and I had power! Maybe… could there have been another prophecy that gave other cats from other Clans powers? Why?_

"I have been able to do this since we went on the journey. I didn't tell Rowanstar because he might think that I have mouse dung in my head and send me back to camp, so I thought I could ask you about it because you know what it's like to go through this," he mewed. "That's why I was really successful in catching prey, but I stayed behind because it was the only chance I had to try to talk to you."

"I… there must have been… another prophecy...maybe one that gave cats...of the other Clans… _power_!" Dovewing mewed, realizing everything. "But first, when everyone comes back from hunting, you need to tell them about your invisibility!"

"But they'll think that I have bees in my brain!"

"I witnessed it. And they know that I am not a mouse-brain!"

"Thanks. It means a lot to me that someone can understand what I'm going through. But I'm going to tell them when I feel comfortable doing it."

"Now, these nests aren't going to make themselves, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

* * *

"ThunderClan's old camp is still here!" Dovewing heard.

Dovewing pricked her ears and looked around. The only cat who must have said that was Bramblestar, and he was nowhere near their makeshift camp. She closed her eyes and cast out her senses, finally locating Bramblestar in a clearing.

"Everything is still here!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "The apprentice's den, warriors den, nursery, medicine den, even the leader's den! Everything is still here."

Dovewing watched as Bramblestar walked around. Then he sighed, "I miss this forest. Cranky Yellowfang, wise Bluestar, my mother Goldenflower. They all lived and died here. So many memories."

Bramblestar remained there for a few heartbeats before saying, "I better get back to hunting." Then he turned and walked away.

Dovewing opened her eyes and found herself back at the makeshift camp with Tigerheart. The Tribe and WindClan cats had already come back, with plenty of prey. Heathertail and Emberfoot listened intently to Onestar, while the Tribe ate, eating a few mouthfuls of prey before passing it on to the other Tribemate. Tigerheart was approaching her, with a vole in his mouth.

"I caught it nearby," Tigerheart said, dropping the vole. "I thought you would be hungry after all that moss gathering."

"Thanks," Dovewing said, heart fluttering. It was so sweet of Tigerheart to catch prey for the both of them. She sat down and took a bite.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," Tigerheart replied. "By using ShadowClan stealth."

Dovewing nodded, then, for the sake of passing time, focused her hearing towards the WindClan cats' direction.

"- faint memories of when I was a kit," Onestar said. "I remember Heatherstar, the leader before Tallstar. When Heatherstar was leader, Tallstar was still deputy, and I was only a kit. Good old times, being in the old WindClan territory."

 _There's so much that's happened here,_ Dovewing realized. _It must've been really hard for them to leave this place._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the RiverClan, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan cats had returned. They each settled down, close by to talk to each other, but not close enough to get comfortable. Dovewing focused her hearing towards the ShadowClan and RiverClan cats.

"Just typical. ThunderClan always had things their way, and they still have their territory, but of course ShadowClan's had to be destroyed!" Rowanstar muttered to himself as he finished his frog.

"Well, look on the bright side Rowanstar, at least we have a place to sleep and food to eat," Mistystar mewed as she started to eat her fish.

"You're just saying that because RiverClan always agrees with ThunderClan, _and_ you still have your territory!" Rowanstar grumbled.

"Hey, what's that smell?" Tigerheart asked, standing up suddenly to his paws.

Dovewing closed her eyes to scout the area, and she saw-

" _Kittypets!_ " Bramblestar exclaimed, and sure enough, two kittypets slipped into the makeshift camp.

"I can't wait to play our gam-," A brown tom with amber eyes mewed, then stopped, startled.

"Oh, Mouse, you're always scared and-," the cream colored she-cat with green eyes stopped too. "Oh, great, Mouse, I think you were right about the stories about forest cats living in these parts of the woods."

" _Your forest_?" Lionblaze screeched, "This place belonged to the Clans and-."

"Lionblaze, calm down, I'm sure these two had no idea that this used to be Clan territory," Bramblestar mewed.

"Umm…, then w-we won't come b-back. I-I don't want to f-fight you, Cream, c-can we go home?" Mouse stuttered in fear.

" _What_? Mouse, are you serious? This is a once in a life-time opportunity to meet forest cats! You have to talk to them!" Cream said, curious.

"Do you think they could tell us where the SkyClan cats are?" Dovewing whispered to Bramblestar.

"Maybe," Bramblestar whispered back.

"Hello there, I am Mistystar, do you happen to know of any other 'forest cats'?" Mistystar asked.

"Mistystar? What a weird name!" Cream exclaimed. "Well I have seen some cats, but usually I don't approach them. I know a cat who has met other cats like you."

"Who?" Rowanstar asked as he eyed Cream suspiciously.

"Barley. He lives in that barn," Cream replied.

"Barley!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "I remember him."

"His sister Violet talks about him all the time. Her kits, Riley and Bella, went with Ravenpaw and Barley to find this SkyClan," Mouse added.

"That's great!" Flight exclaimed.

"How about I go find Barley at the barn," Bramblestar said, "and ask him to guide us to SkyClan?"

"Fine by me," Mistystar replied.

"I think that it would be nice to have a guide," Stoneteller mewed.

"Same here," Onestar agreed

Everyone turned to look at Rowanstar.

"Only if they know the right way," Rowanstar said.

"One more thing," Cream said. "Be careful around here, and run if you see Jenny."

"J-Jenny is a savage. S-She killed my sister. S-She said she wasn't t-tough enough, and told her two friends H-Henry and S-Snake to…" Mouse stuttered, fear in his eyes. "After that, I fled to this place in the forest, I…"

"I found him when I was exploring this small forest, and we became friends," Cream mewed, hiding emotion behind her eyes. "They, Jenny and her group of cats, call themselves BloodClan."

"I'm so sorry Mouse," Dovewing mewed.

 _It must be horrible to lose someone so close to you, and then flee for your life. No wonder Mouse is so jumpy and scared!_

"Mouse and I know every nook and cranny in the place, but we always have to watch out for BloodClan," Cream mewed, "And she has started to explore the forest! You aren't safe here!"

"Well spoken, Cream. I just hope you remember why you befriend cowards, because you will pay for placing pity on the weak ones," said a voice.

"Is that… _no_!" Mouse screamed,"Jenny!".

A black she-cat appeared with at least three other strong cats. All had collars with dog teeth protruding from them, "Why hello there, Mouse. I haven't seen you in a long time," said Jenny, her eyes menacing and red, and her claws stained with blood.

"Jenny, go away! We haven't done anything to you!" Cream mewed and stared right back to her in her eyes.

 _How is Cream not frightened? I know I am! They look as strong as Lionblaze!_ Dovewing thought.

"Now, let's not get worked up about this, Cream. I just found these new cats to join my strong Clan."

"Actually, they know the whole story about you, savage! So you leave us alone!" Cream shouted right back, unafraid.

"We don't mean any harm here," Bramblestar said quickly.

"I'll be the judge of that," Jenny said. "BloodClan, attack!"

Suddenly, cats poured down from the treetops and flooded in from the bushes and grass. Their claws gleamed, and the teeth from dogs protruded from all their collars. Saliva dripped from their hanging jaws, and their eyes gleamed from excitement.

"Get ready to fight!" Rowanstar exclaimed, unsheathing his claws.

The other cats followed suit, their fur bristling, their stance ready.

"Clans, attack!" Mistystar yowled.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

Tigerstar's POV

Tigerstar sat on top of the tallest clump of rocks, watching all the Dark Forest cats gathered before him.

"Cats of the Dark Forest!" Tigerstar yowled. "I want a full report on how training is going. Antpelt, how are the WindClan apprentices faring?"

"Everything is going according to plan, Tigerstar," Antpelt mewed, bowing his head. "Ripplepaw and Ripplestar, the former long-forgotten leader of ShadowClan, are doing very well together, and Ripplepaw has been able to sneak around like a shadow. Leopardpaw and Leopardstar, the past leader of RiverClan, are becoming an unstoppable force. Silverpaw and Silverhawk are the strongest pair of them all."

"Good work, Antpelt," Tigerstar commented. "And to you as well, Silverhawk."

Silverhawk dipped his head, "The pleasure is all mine, Tigerstar."

"How are things going in ShadowClan, Brokenstar?" Tigerstar asked, switching his attention to the former ShadowClan leader.

"ShadowClan has many apprentices, Tigerstar, but we have no problem training all of them, even the medicine cat apprentice," Brokenstar replied. "Pebblepaw is being trained by Pebbleheart, the first ShadowClan medicine cat. Together, they came up with ways to poison cats, and to cure the most notorious wounds if needed. Brownpaw is being trained by Clawface, as the Brownpaw in StarClan is too young to train an apprentice. Stonepaw keeps hesitating, however. He said that my methods were too harsh. I had to keep reminding him that he's just becoming a better warrior 'for the sake of his Clan', but I think the stories the mouse-brained elders told him are stuck in his head! He keeps showing more _worry_ than strength! I think I need another warrior to watch him while training just to make sure he trusts us again!"

"I could send a fake sign for you, Brokenstar. One that will shake the bees out of his brain," Mapleshade suggested. "We could place him in a dream where some 'poor' and 'defenseless' cats are attacked. He won't be able to do anything to help them. Then he will focus on training, thinking that he will protect the weak, but I'm sure that you change his thinking easily, Brokenstar."

"Of course! Then I could tell him that the weak cats symbolized the weak Clans and that he must focus on training! Send it to him _now_ so that he sees our way," Brokenstar mewed.

"Certainly. You can continue the meeting without me. I'll catch up on what happened later," Mapleshade said, as she disappeared into the shadows to haunt the young apprentice's dreams.

"For the other three apprentices, Yarrowpaw, Beepaw, and Needlepaw, we will begin their training soon. Redwillow, Maggottail, and Bee, one of the first Dark Forest residents, will train them," Brokenstar finished.

"So ShadowClan is taken care of. How's mouse-brain ThunderClan doing, Thistleclaw?" Tigerstar demanded, a gleam of power in his eyes.

"Well, Ashpaw is having lots of fun training, maybe too much fun, but Ashfur knows how to fix that. All it takes is reminding him that he is the Clan leader's son, and that he's training for ThunderClan. Featherpaw seems to be in sync with Feathertail. She listens to her and trusts that she is a good cat, and is ignoring Ravenpaw's tales because she is stronger and faster than her now. And Sparrowpaw is eager to train with Halftail. He has the same hunger in his heart for battle just like us. Of course, Ravenpaw has been going to them and telling them things, but they are ignoring their sister because they are stronger, faster, quicker, and smarter than her. The fact that Bramblestar is away makes it easier to train them because their father can't tell them to stop, and that they want to impress him when he comes back," Thistleclaw replied, making sure that he gave every last little detail.

"What will we do about that nuisance, Ravenpaw?" Hawkfrost asked his father.

"For now, she isn't doing any damage," Tigerstar mewed. "Later, we will punish her for being uncooperative."

"Thank you, Thistleclaw, for the very detailed report," Tigerstar added, happy that he had power over ThunderClan, or at least their apprentices, once more. "And now, let's not forget our precious little Peanutpaw and Lavenderpaw in the legendary SkyClan." Tigerstar said menacingly. "One Eye, once part of Clear Sky's camp. I trust everything is going according to plan?"

"Even better," One Eye replied. "Since majority of SkyClan has never heard of the Dark Forest, Peanutpaw thinks that he's being trained by _StarClan_! He's very willing to train and work. Lavenderpaw has broken her leg trying to complete a task, but she'll be up and ready in no time. Dustypaw is the one we can't get to, however. Nothing can shake him, as he holds such powerful belief for his ancestors. Additionally, SkyClan's medicine cat, Frecklewish, is worrying about Icekit, and he has been having dreams. I believe that this should be brought to our attention because StarClan is starting to notice Icekit's potential. He could use his powers for us! In fact, why are we not training cats with powers? I mean, we can't train Lionblaze or Dovewing, but why can't we train others?" One Eye asked.

Mapleshade came back into the clearing. "I think that we should keep an eye on him for now. But we can't train the cats with powers because they know about the Dark Forest. And then the Clan leaders get suspicious."


	51. Chapter 51

_**A LOT of thanks to Snowfang and Lilyheart! You two rock!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 51**

Emberfoot's POV

The rage of battle was wailing in the sky as cats from every Clan and Tribe were fighting against the new BloodClan cats, lead by Jenny. Emberfoot was fighting with all his might against two BloodClan cats. He was trying to land blows on a black tom and a cream and white she-cat. They were both closing in on him.

"What's wrong? I thought you forest cats were tough," the tom said, mocking him. "You look thin, seems like you didn't get enough prey on your journey. Don't look so tough to bat us, do you now? Right, Frost?"

"Of course, Smoke," the she-cat replied. Emberfoot backed up until he felt huge rocks behind him. He was trapped.

"Oh look, Frost, he has nowhere to go. Maybe I should give him a good swipe before he runs away." Emberfoot saw Smoke raise a paw as he braced himself for pain. All of a sudden, a bright flash hit him and he saw three scenes in front of him, and the cry of battle dimmed out of his ears in an eerie sky. Emberfoot looked around.

"Hello?" he meowed, an echo followed it. Shrugging, Emberfoot padded closer to the scenes that had appeared when the bright flash of light came. The first one showed Smoke about to strike him. Rain That Passes Quickly, the Tribe's cave-guard, suddenly tried to lunge for the two cats, but missing them, which caused Emberfoot to get vicious, bleeding claw marks across his face. The next one showed the same, except Rain landed on top of Smoke, and the claws raked Rain's underbelly and missed Emberfoot. The last one showed Emberfoot batting Smoke's paw down and Rain headbutting Smoke and Frost. "What is this?" Emberfoot asks, studying the scenes closer.

"Well, looking at them won't help," a new voice croaked. Emberfoot turned around as mist gathered into a starry form. It was a pinkish-gray she-cat.

"Who are you?" Emberfoot asked, more curious than afraid.

"You may not know me, but I am Heatherstar, former leader of WindClan. I am here to tell you something, but I am sure you want to know where you are first. This may sound confusing, but you are in your mind. What you are seeing are futures, possible futures, and some of them are ones that you can influence, like the last one," Heatherstar pointed out. "I am here to tell you that you are special. You have been given this power for a reason, so use it wisely. You enter and exit by focusing on the scene you wish to choose."

Heatherstar looked back. "I'm sorry, but my time here is limited. Good luck." The image of Heatherstar slowly dissolved.

"Wait, what? I have questions I wanted to ask!" he exclaimed.

He was answered with silence, once again greeted with the glare of the three scenes. Slowly, he walked toward the third scene, and the sounds of battle arose again in his eardrums, and soon he was staring at Smoke again.

"You look like you've seen a badger. What, too scared of my paw?" Smoke said with a menacing smile.

Emberfoot's eyes narrowed. "No, and by the way, I live on the moor, and there are muscles under this thin pelt," he said, batting Smoke's paw down. Emberfoot heard a yowl through all the battle cries, and Rain tumbled onto Smoke and Frost. Emberfoot got up and lashed at them with the cave-guard at his side until they turned and ran. His blood rushed with the thrill of battle.

"Now let's get the rest of them," Rain yowled. Emberfoot yowled along with her as he plunged into the heat of battle. He ran into the middle of the clearing, and he saw Dovewing getting lashed by two other BloodClan cats. He quickly ran over to Dovewing's side and started to battle a BloodClan cat. Suddenly they both got knocked over by something he couldn't see. Emberfoot could see that Dovewing was okay, so he glanced around, looking for any attackers. A shriek pierced the air. Emberfoot turned around and saw Rain being clawed by a bulky gray tom.

"I'm coming!" he exclaimed and ran to Rain's side. Emberfoot barged into the tom and started lashing him. The tom quickly saw that the odds were against him and ran away.

"Thanks," said Rain as she caught her breath. "I really needed your help," she said, looking up. Then suddenly the moonlight shone in Rain's eyes. They twinkled in the light, and Emberfoot was dazed by the sight. _She looks so pretty..._

 _No! This can't happen!_ Emberfoot thought. _My only love is for Sedgewhisker and my daughters, Larkwing and Ferntail._

He was suddenly brought back to reality as a black and red she-cat pounced on him. Emberfoot dodged the attack and turned around to find Jenny. Rain shrieked at the surprise. She tried to help, but Jenny was too strong and she clenched Emberfoot's throat between her paws

"Now is the time to win!" Jenny yowled. Every cat stopped fighting. Jenny showed her sharp fangs and sank them in his throat. Emberfoot shrieked at the pain. It felt like poison in his body.

"No! Stop!" Rain screeched. She pounced on Jenny and ripped her fangs out of Emberfoot's throat. Jenny, injured badly, was knocked to the floor.

Jenny got up slowly, bloodied. Every BloodClan cat was shocked to see Jenny hurt so badly. Rain was hissing menacingly. Emberfoot never seen her so angry. "We don't want to hurt you, but if you want to go killing everyone for no viable reason, then we will make sure you regret it with your life," Rain hissed. The other traveling cats started hissing too and everybody was in battle position.

Jenny looked around at the angry cats. "Fine, but this isn't the last time you'll see BloodClan," she snarled. "Keep your eyes open, fellow strangers. Keep your ears pricked. Keep looking behind you. Because one day BloodClan will find you, and then you'll be sorry," Jenny hissed. She turned her back, signaling her cats to follow and soon they were gone.

"Well, we won, but it looks like some of us still have battles to fight," Onestar said, glancing at Emberfoot with concern in his gaze. Emberfoot could feel heat pulsing on his throat. He closed his eyes and felt soft fur against his. _Is it you, Sedgewhisker?_ he thought. _Am I dead? Has StarClan finally come for me?_

"Don't worry, you will be all right. Stoneteller is looking for herbs right now," he heard Rain's soft, soothing voice in his ear. Emberfoot opened his eyes and saw Rain looking down on him. She looked so pretty in the moonlight, even if her fur was a bit disheveled. She… _Stop! I can't betray Sedgewhisker like this!_

"I… I can't do this," Emberfoot croaked weakly. "I have a mate."

He looked at her surprised and sad face for one last time before his vision blurred out of sight.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

Smoke's POV

"I can't believe we did that!" Smoke hissed. After running away, Smoke and Frost ran back to BloodClan's Twoleg garbage camp.

"Did what?" Frost asked, licking dirt of her paw.

" _Run away_! Jenny is going to be so mad at us! _She's going to punish us!_ " Smoke started muttering and pacing around anxiously.

"I don't think we did anything wrong," Frost said, calmly continuing to lick her paw.

" _What?!_ How?" Smoke yowled.

"We were being attacked and overwhelmed It was the most logical thing to do. I wasn't going to just stand there and get mauled," Frost said, moving to her pelt.

Smoke growled with anger. He then heard rustling in the bushes, and a black-and-red figure moved toward them.

"Hello, Jenny," Smoke said worriedly moving toward her.

"Don't come forward, you cowards!" Jenny yowled angrily. She stepped forward slowly, with a red gleam in her eyes and blood stained claws as she padded towards the two cats.

"You don't look good," Smoke said as he inspected Jenny. "What happened?"

"While you cowards were running, we had a battle, if you didn't know, and we got beaten by some dumb forest cats!" she exploded, the fire burning in her eyes.

"We didn't mean to run away. We were getting wounded badly, and we would have died!" Frost exclaimed and stopped licking her pelt.

"Well, it would have been a helpful death for BloodClan since that would have gotten rid of you two cowards."

"But there wasn't much we could do while being fatally wounded by some forest cats!" Frost retorted.

"Well you two are certainly no advantage to BloodClan anymore."

"N-No! We still are loyal to you, Jenny!" Smoke said with a worried gleam in his eye.

"Well, running away isn't being loyal. You're exiled." Jenny almost whispered. "You're lucky that I didn't kill you instead! You worthless excuses for cats! Leave now, and if you are ever found on BloodClan territory again, then you have a death wish. Henry! Snake! Run these two out of camp."

"Yes, Jenny," they said simultaneously as they padded menacingly towards the ex-BloodClan members.

"You don't understand, Jenny! We promise we won't do it again!" Frost mewed, desperate.

"Who is this 'we'? You are always independent in BloodClan. Your actions, your fault," Jenny mewed. "Now, _leave!_ " she commanded, chasing the two exiled cats herself.

The two cats ran blindly for their lives, and ended up in a clearing. They thought they were safe before they realized that Cream, Mouse, and all the other forest cats they had just fought were sitting right there and looked ready to pounce.

"They must have brought backup!" a brown tabby tom exclaimed, leaping to his paws.

"No! We surrender… Jenny exiled us for running away after the battle and we ran for our lives and ended up here. Please don't hurt us!" Frost begged.

They noticed that the cat they had fought earlier was on the ground, unmoving. Smoke noticed that he had huge bloodied fang marks in his throat.

"And… yeah, sorry 'bout what we said… back there," Smoke added sheepishly to the sleeping figure. He looked up towards the forest cats. "My name is Smoke, and this is Frost."

"What makes us believe that you aren't here to attack us again?" a dark ginger tom with green eyes snarled.

"Hold on, Rowanstar," a blue-gray she-cat mewed. "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't attack you right now?"

"I-I, uh… We don't want to fight! Jenny exiled us for running away during the battle! We were wounded, and we still are! You can keep a guard watching us or whatever! Besides, if we wanted a fight, we wouldn't even be talking to each other right now! Just please don't hurt us or send us back!" Frost pleaded.

"We also know our way around the Twolegplace and where BloodClan patrols!" Smoke added, desperate.

"I say we keep an eye on them," Cream mewed, narrowing her eyes. "They aren't in any shape to harm us, and they know where and when Jenny's patrols are even better than I do. They probably know where the barn is too."

"I don't think they should be here at all. What if they go back to Jenny?" a golden tom with rippling muscles asked.

"What's the difference between using their help, and asking a kittypet for help?" a she-cat with a gray pelt and green eyes doubted.

"Well, they used to be part of BloodClan, but their knowledge is too important to give away. How about a test? Describe the cats on the closest patrol," asked the brown tabby tom. "Dovewing can check, and some of us can go and spy to see if it's true."

"Around this time… Jenny usually patrols the edge of the Twolegplace with a white tom with red eyes named Ice and a brown tom with blue eyes named Henry," Smoke replied, "But she might have more cats with her because she wants to be sure we're not in her territory anymore."

"Can we discuss in private?" the blue-gray she-cat mewed. "The other cats will watch you two."

"Yes," they both said.

The forest cats walked a few tail-lengths away, but they could catch a few snippets of the conversation, "Trust...correct...BloodClan...exiled...hmmm...maybe...watch…"

Meanwhile, Cream wouldn't stop giving her death stare.

After a brief moment, they came to a conclusion that the cats could stay, but had to be guarded.

"Fine, you can stay, but no sneaky business. Tigerheart and Heathertail will watch you day and night," the dark ginger tom said to them. The group dispersed and two cats walked toward them. One was a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes and the other was a light brown she-cat with blue eyes. Smoke looked at the she-cat. She was a little bigger than the tom, so she must be eating more. Smoke ignored it.

"My name is Tigerheart, and this is Heathertail," the tom said. "We will be watching you two, but that does not mean we aren't friendly. You can explore the camp but if you try to escape-" Tigerheart unsheathed his claws, "-then don't expect any mercy from us."

Smoke and Frost started walking around, while cats kept giving them side stares. Then suddenly Cream came to stop them in their tracks.

"What do you think you are doing? Aren't you two supposed to be watched? Or are you trying to escape and tell Jenny all our secrets?" Cream asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"No, we are just walking around," Frost answered. Then a gray she-cat walked up to them.

"Hmmmm… Frost, that sounds like someone I know at home. My name is Rain That Passes Quickly," the gray she-cat mewed as she introduced herself.

"Well, my full name is actually Frosting, but friends call me Frost," Frost answered.

"Well, hello Frost, nice to meet you," Rain responded. Cream kept staring at them with narrowed eyes.

"Nice to meet you too. We'd like to know where we will sleep," Smoke asked.

"You should be sleeping in a pile of fox dung, but unfortunately you sleep in that corner over there," Cream pointed out. Smoke looked at where Cream pointed to. There was a tree stump full of lichen and moss, and some of it was used to make their nests. The rest was used to make two separate nests for Tigerheart and Heathertail.

"Thank you," Frost said as she and Smoke walked away.

"These cats are very suspicious about us. I can understand it, but I will never be part of BloodClan again," Smoke said.

"I agree with you, but I'm just happy they let us stay with them," Frost mewed.

"I just wish Cream would stop staring at us like we're a talking dog or something," Smoke replied.

"Yeah, but I get her point. We have known her since we were kits, joined BloodClan, pretty much everything."

"I still remember the time when she refused to join Jenny. Do you?"

"Oh, of course! Who doesn't? She spit on her and told her that BloodClan was wrong and fled with Jenny at her tail! I guess she was right after all..."

"Did she really spit on Jenny?," Rain interrupted, startling Smoke.

"Yeah. If Cream believes in something strongly, she will show it. Like the way she hates us right now," Frost answered.

"I see," Rain mewed. "Were you two ever friends with Cream?"

"Once, a long time ago," Smoke mewed. "Now, obviously, we're not friends."

Rain sighed. "Anyways, about that cat you attacked earlier and tried to kill…"

"We didn't mean it!" Smoke cried out instantly. "We were only-"

Rain flicked her tail at Smoke's mouth, silencing him. "I know. But… ugh! Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

The three were silent for a moment, before Frost broke the silence. "Um… do you happen to have feelings for that cat?"

"That cat's name is _Emberfoot_ ," Rain snapped. Then her face softened. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Smoke mewed, confused. "What happened?"

"Well, he's starting to recover," Rain said. "It's just… I really liked him. I never thought I would like a Clan cat like Brook did. But it just sort of happened, and I really think he's attractive. And smart. And tough. When he almost died, I laid down next to him, and he was looking up at me. What he said next tore my heart. He… he…," Rain stopped, trying not to choke on the words she was about to speak.

"He said what?" Frost said gently, stroking Rain's back with her tail.

Rain dropped her gaze to the ground.

"H-He said he couldn't do this. H-He said he had a mate!" Rain sobbed.

"You know, he could always change his mind," Frost mewed, trying to comfort her.

"B-But what if he doesn't? I-I…," Rain asked.

"Then he will always be your friend, no matter what. You don't have to be mates to be there for each other," Frost comforted. Smoke stared dumbly at the two she-cats. Why was this tom such a big deal?

"T-thanks. I needed to get those feelings of my chest. I didn't think Stoneteller or Flight would want to listen to my dumb problems," Rain thanked.

"You're welcome. I actually thought that no one would talk to me except Smoke! It feels nice to be trusted. That's even better," Frost mewed.

"I'm going to check on Emberfoot," Rain mewed as she walked away.

"Okay, talk to you later!" Frost mewed as he turned to Smoke.

"Wow, we just got our first conversation! Well, you did," Smoke congratulated.

"Well, why don't we go to the den they made and sit there to celebrate! I know it sounds lame, but we can talk and earn their trust at the same time!" Frost suggested.

"That is lame, but I guess it is important, seeing that Cream can't stare at us from there," Smoke mewed as she flicked her tail towards the she-cat with narrowing eyes.

They walked over to the hollowed stump and lay down on the soft moss bed.

"Hey, this is actually not so bad. This moss is soft! Much softer than the Twoleg rubbish we used to sleep on in BloodClan!" Smoke mewed.

"It is!" Frost exclaimed as her eyes widened in surprise. "This is like the stuff Jenny sleeps on!"

The two cats sat there, talking for a good bit as the moon rose higher into the sky. Most of the cats had started sleeping, and Smoke and Frost had to lower their voices to avoid from having Heathertail's sharp, menacing glare on them.

"You know, maybe we should check on Emberfoot…," Frost suggested after they had a good chat.

"Yeah… I kinda feel bad, but won't they feel suspicious about us being near an injured cat?" Smoke asked.

"I guess you are right, but look, Rain is there and she is our first friend here," Frost looked deeply into his eyes. Smoke couldn't resist.

"Fine, we can go," Smoke said, but Frost was already walking toward Rain and Emberfoot. Rain was murmuring to Emberfoot as Frost came with Smoke on her heels.

"Please…," Smoke could hear Rain say.

"Sorry, I can't... though I might have liked it…," Smoke heard Emberfoot reply.

"Hello?" Frost asked in between.

"S-stay away!" Emberfoot growled. "This is personal!"

"They're my friends!" Rain told him, then focused her attention back onto the main topic. "I thought you loved me!" she mewed as she began to cry.

"It just… won't work… you're a Tribe cat… and I live in the Clans…," Emberfoot mewed.

"B-but Stormfur and Brook, they got together, didn't they? They even had kits!" Rain said, stuttering a bit.

"But Stormfur… didn't have… a mate before...and he didn't have … much family left anyways... so he left the Clans… for her," Emberfoot said, his wound bothering him.

"What do you mean?" Rain asked Emberfoot.

"I... have so much... to live for... in WindClan,... unlike Stormfur," Emberfoot said before he passed out.

"Emberfoot? Emberfoot!" Rain shrieked. Frost ran to the nearest makeshift den.

"Some cat come! Quickly!" Frost screamed and did that repeatedly to the other dens. Cats came quicker than a heartbeat. Every cat started murmuring about what happened. Then a she-cat barged through and leaned over Emberfoot's body.

"What's wrong, Heronwing?" Rain asked looking over her shoulder, looking worried.

"He's just unconscious. You must have been pushing him too hard. Luckily, when I was a kit, I used to always watch the medicine cat, and I actually thought of asking to become one, but I guess my heart lead me to the cat I am today. I do know a few tricks from watching-."

"Just help him!" Rain exclaimed, exasperated.

"Great StarClan, I was going to! You know, you should really be more patient-."

"I will help," Stoneteller said as he pushed towards Emberfoot. "The rest of you should go back to sleep. He's not going to get any better with everyone around him jabbering like jackdaws."

"All right then, Stoneteller will help me. I am guessing that you may not know any herbs around this place," Heronwing said to Stoneteller before she swung her head to talk to Stoneteller about Emberfoot.

Smoke moved away from the the two cats with Frost. ' _I hope he does get better. We weren't the ones that did that to him. Jenny did.'_


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

Tawnypelt's POV

"Robinkit! Mossykit! Come back! It's time to go to sleep!" Tawnypelt yowled.

"But Mama! I'm not sleepy at all! I could fight all of ThunderClan and still not be sleepy!" Robinkit complained.

"Yeah Mama! I'm not tired either! I could catch all the prey in the forest!" Mossykit complained.

"Now, no complaining, and bid Pinenose and her kits good-night," Tawnypelt said as she tucked into her nest for the night.

"Goodnight!" Mossykit and Robinkit chorused together.

"See you next sunrise!" Pinenose's kits, Birchkit, Lionkit, Puddlekit, and Slatekit replied together.

"Mama, tell us a story!" Robinkit begged after they had settled in the nest with Tawnypelt.

"Yeah Mama! Tell us about BloodClan!" Mossykit begged.

"No! That is a story you two aren't ready for yet! How about a story about your father?" Tawnypelt mewed.

"But we heard that one before! Tell us about your journey to the mountains! Did you really meet Tribe cats?" Robinkit begged. Both kits were getting close to becoming apprentices, and wanted to know more about the mountains.

"You went to the mountains, Tawnypelt?!" Slatekit asked, overhearing their conversation.

"Yes, I did. Do you want to hear it, Slatekit?" Tawnypelt asked.

"Yes please," Slatekit nodded intensly.

"I want to hear it too!" Lionkit begged, and soon she had six kits asking for a story.

"All right then, but you have to listen to me," Tawnypelt mewed.

"We will!" The kits chorused together.

Tawnypelt noticed a feeling in the air. _What is that?_ she thought. Whatever it was, it made her head ache.

Pinenose woke up from all of the noise the kits were making. "Tawnypelt, I'm tired. Can we save the story for the morning?"

"But Mama! We want to know about Tribe cats!" Slatekit begged.

"I'm sorry kits, but I think Pinenose is very stressed. I can feel it," Tawnypelt replied.

"Thank you Tawnypelt. Let's get some rest now," Pinenose thanked.

"Awwwww!" said the kits, pouting as they walked back to their mothers.

Then another feeling hit Tawnypelt, and it made her feel disappointed and sad.

"It's all right kits. I promise I will tell you the story tomorrow. For now, please go to sleep," Tawnypelt promised.

"Okay! Good-night Mama!" Robinkit mewed.

"Good-night Mama!" Mossykit echoed before snuggling in with Robinkit.

 _They sure are a handful, but I love them more than anything. Well, the kits and Rowanstar. Where is he? I really want him to come home in time for our kits' Apprentice Ceremony! Every day they're growing, and I'm worried that their father won't be there for one of the most important things in their life! I know the journey is important. I just want him to come home safely._

As soon as Tawnypelt calmed herself down, and she was plunged into a dream. She was in a beautiful, starlit forest, and the air smelled with the scent of wonderful prey. _Where am I? Am I in StarClan?!_

"Tawnypelt!" cried a voice and she turned around to locate it. There she saw Blackstar.

"Blackstar!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Tawnypelt. I have important news for you. You are special." Blackstar mewed.

"How? Like in the way I knew Pinenose was stressed?" Tawnypelt joked.

"Exactly. You can sense other cats emotions."

Tawnypelt stared at him."I was just joking! That does not make a cat different!"

"But Pinenose showed no sign of stress. Only drowsiness and the need for sleep."

"Fine, so I can read emotions. How does that even help me?! To know my opponent feelings will just distract me!"

"There are 4 stars in ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, The Tribe of Rushing Water, and SkyClan. Together they will stop turmoil and chaos among all the Clans have ever known," Blackstar mewed. "You will learn to control these emotions soon."

"Wait _what_? SkyClan? And what turmoil? Blackstar!" Tawnypelt mewed as she was woken abruptly from her dream, by none other than Robinkit and Mossykit.

"Mama! Mama! Wake up! The big warriors say that there's a fox coming to the camp!" Mossykit cried.

"The warriors are fighting it _inside_ the camp! It's so scary!" Robinkit added. That was all Tawnypelt needed to forget her dream for the time being, and peer outside the nursery entrance to see the warriors fighting a big orange fox.

Tawnypelt turned to Pinenose, who was still asleep. Robinkit and Mossykit were helping Lionkit, Slatekit, Puddlekit, and Birchkit wake her up.

"What?" Pinenose grumbled, unhappy to be awoken.

" _Fox!_ " Tawnypelt cried, and Pinenose was on her feet in a heartbeat. "Kits! Back of the den, _now_! No arguing!" Tawnypelt screeched as all of the kits obeyed.

"Tawnypelt! Pinenose! Are the kits hurt?" Spikefur asked as he barged into the nursery, worry clearly etched into his eyes.

"They're at the back of their den," Pinenose replied. "Keep them occupied and watch them. I don't want one of them running into the middle of battle," Pinenose said. Before Spikefur could protest, Pinenose had already rushed out of the nursery and into the camp's clearing. Tawnypelt ran after Pinenose as the whole camp began attacking the fox.

"Stay away from my Clan, you meddling furball!" Tawnypelt heard Pinenose scream. The fox pricked its ears and started yowling at her. Pinenose stopped.

"Wait, what?" Tawnypelt heard Pinenose question herself. "Stop!" she shrieked at the cats. Most of the cats froze at Pinenose's command, but some had kept swiping at the fox.

"What do you mean stop?!" Tawnypelt heard Dawnpelt exclaim.

"Yeah! We need to drive this fox away!" Owlclaw added.

"Why did we stop?!" Scorchfur asked.

"Wait," Tawnypelt heard Crowfrost, the ShadowClan deputy, say. "Why do you want us to stop, Pinenose? There's a fox in our camp, which is clearly a danger to our Clan, especially to the kits, queens, and elders. Why do you want us to stop when we should be _driving this pile of fox dung out of camp?_ " Crowfrost questioned, leaning over Pinenose.

"You might think I'm insane," Pinenose said, unafraid, "but I can actually understand this fox!"

Murmurs sprang across camp as the remaining cats who were fighting the fox stopped. The fox sat back on its haunches, licking its wounds, uninterested in attacking the kits, queens, and elders. Its only focus was on Pinenose.

"Its name is Flower, and _she_ was curious of all the noise coming from camp," Pinenose mewed.

"So, what exactly do we do with it?" Spikefur asked, emerging from the nursery.

"Well, I don't know," said Pinenose, confused.

"If you can talk to this fox, then tell it to go away!" Crowfrost mewed, eager to get rid of the beast.

"All right. I'll tell her to leave," said she turned again back to the fox, focusing on it. A few heartbeats later, the fox plodded away from camp without harming any ShadowClan cat.

"Thank goodness it didn't attack the kits," Tawnypelt mewed, relieved. In the air, she could feel the tension draining away from camp as everyone headed back to their routine once more.

"Yes, thank StarClan the kits are okay!" Pinenose mewed, exhausted.

 _How does she speak fox?_ Tawnypelt wondered. _With that ability, she could have helped us countless times!_

"Pinenose, come talk with me," Crowfrost mewed, motioning towards Pinenose with his tail. "We need to discuss some things. You too, Littlecloud."

"Mama! Is the scary fox gone?" Robinkit mewed, coming out of the nursery as Pinenose headed towards Crowfrost's direction

"Yes, kits. She's gone," Tawnypelt mewed. "You all are safe once more."

"Pinenose was as brave as a warrior! Can you show me some moves?" Slatekit begged.

"Pleeeaaaaasssseeee?" Lionkit begged.

"Not now precious. For now, the elders can tell you a story," Tawnypelt mewed.

"Ok Mama, but you need to tell us the story of the Tribe cats tonight!" Mossykit mewed before going with the other kits to play hide-and-seek.

 _Where is Rowanstar when you need him? So many things are happening while he's gone, I want him to come back!_

That's when Tawnypelt remembered her dream, and immediately headed towards the warriors den, where Crowfrost, Pinenose, and Littlecloud were talking.

"Tawnypelt! What are you doing in here?" Crowfrost asked. She could clearly see that she had interrupted their conversation.

"I had a dream! It involves Blackstar _and_ a prophecy!" Tawnypelt mewed.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Littlecloud asked. He was getting old, and his voice rasped in his throat a little.

"No offense, but how was I supposed to tell you that when we were attacked by _Flower_?" Tawnypelt asked.

"Well, tell us now!" Littlecloud mewed.

For the next few minutes, the three cats stared at Tawnypelt, listening intensly to what she was saying. There was silence for a moment before Littlecloud broke it.

"I get it! If there are four cats in ShadowClan with powers, that means there should be four cats with powers and the other Clans! Tawnypelt can sense emotions, and Pinenose can speak to other creatures! Well, we don't know how many different creatures, but that doesn't matter! We need to find the other two cats in ShadowClan!" Littlecloud mewed, excitement in his voice.

"But what if one of the cats with powers is on the journey? We'll never be able to reach out to them!" Pinenose asked.

"For now, let's worry about the cats in the camp. Tawnypelt, Pinenose, look after your kits and don't tell anyone of your powers," Crowfrost replied.

"Yes, now don't you have a story to tell the kits?" Pinenose asked, teasing.

"Yes, we sure do," Tawnypelt giggled. "But what are we going do with our powers?" Tawnypelt asked. "And who are the others?"

"You heard Crowfrost. Don't tell anyone anything. Kits! Tawnypelt has a story! Give the elders a break!" Pinenose mewed as she left the den.

"Yay! I want to know all about the mountains!" Mossykit squealed, rushing towards Tawnypelt's side.

"I want to hear the story too!" Slatekit mewed.

"We will, but let's get in the den first. It looks like it might rain," Tawnypelt mewed, looking up at the gray clouds that had stretched across the sky.

The kits raced into the den just as the first few drops of rain fell from the sky, clear and cold. Littlecloud and Crowfrost were still chatting about the prophecy, their heads bent in concentration. The warriors were gossiping about Pinenose's ability to talk to foxes, the apprentices were talking about their upcoming assessments, and the elders were talking about their old days of chasing a dog through the forest. Tawnypelt brought herself in the nursery with the kits already sitting down, waiting eagerly for Tawnypelt to tell her story.

"Well, it started when the Clans were still at the old forest. Nightstar, the leader before Blackstar, came to me-" Tawnypelt mewed before she was interrupted by a flash of light and a booming noise of thunder.

"Ah!" Birchkit cried.

"What was that?!" Mossykit asked, worry in her eyes.

"It was thunder. It won't reach you, you're safe," Pinenose reassured the kits. "Why don't we hear Tawnypelt's amazing story now?"

"Thank you, Pinenose. Now, Nightstar came and told me that I had to meet three other cats at the new moon," Tawnypelt mewed. "Later, I met up with Brambleclaw, and discovered that he had had the same dream. We decided to meet at Fourtrees. I came from ShadowClan, of course, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, Squirrelpaw then, came from ThunderClan, Crowfeather, Crowpaw then, came from WindClan, and Feathertail and Stormfur came from RiverClan."

"Then what happened?" asked Pinenose, not because she wanted to know, but because the kits were staring at Tawnypelt with their jaws open in shock, and Pinenose had to stop herself from laughing.

"So we went on a long journey to find the home that we live in today. We met with a badger named Midnight who told us that the forest was being destroyed by Twolegs, and that we had to lead the Clans to their new home. A dying warrior was to show us the way," she said. "After that, we headed back going through the mountains and found out that a fierce mountain lion had been giving the Tribe cats hard times. Tawnypelt mewed.

"A real _lion_?" Lionkit mewed excitedly.

"Wow!" Puddlekit said.

"Yes, it was a special kind of lion, and the Tribe named it Sharptooth. To defeat Sharptooth, we had a hare stuffed with deathberries, and one of the Tribe cats, called Talon of Swooping Eagle, made a blood trail that led to the Tribe's cave. After a few heartbeats, Sharptooth roared into camp. Squirrelpaw tried to distract it, but it went for Crowpaw. All of a sudden, Feathertail flung herself to the roof of the cave to send rock pikes raining down on him. She ended up killing Sharptooth, but sacrificed her life in the process," Tawnypelt mewed.

"Feathertail was so brave," Mossykit mewed.

"That must have been really cool!" Birchkit said.

"That was the best story ever!" Robinkit mewed.

"You saved mountain cats!" Lionkit squealed.

"You're the best warrior ever, Mama! And Feathertail too!" Mossykit mewed.

The rain outside the den had stopped, leaving puddles all over the camp. Cats slowly began to pour out of the dens. The elders were stretching their limbs, and Crowfrost was assigning a hunting patrol and border patrol. Littlecloud was going back to his den, and Pinenose padded outside.

"Come on kits! Go outside! It stopped raining, and you have been inside that den for a long time!" Pinenose mewed as the kits quickly obeyed her.

"I think that you tell a very good story, Tawnypelt," Pinenose complemented. "I was listening to the whole thing."

"Thanks. I think we should get some fresh-kill to eat and some water to drink. I'm starving and thirsty after that long story!" Tawnypelt mewed.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

Squirrelflight's POV

"All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey meet me at Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Squirrelflight announced.

In the blink of an eye, the Clan was gathered around Highrock. Squirrelflight's kits were standing nearby, their eyes shining, their tails twitching nervously.

"Today is the day that ThunderClan is proud to announce four new warriors! Their mentors have agreed that they are ready, and StarClan has approved of me doing warrior ceremonies. Ravenpaw, Featherpaw, Ashpaw, and Sparrowpaw! Please come forward!" Squirrelflight exclaimed. Although she tried to cover it, it was clear that she was beaming with pride.

 _My kits are going to become warriors! Bramblestar would be so proud of how much they have learned! I think he's going to be quite happy with the names I picked._

She watched as her kits bounded up to the front of the crowd, eager to receive their warrior names. Their mentors stood off to one side, cheering them on silently with their eyes.

"I, Squirrelflight, deputy of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.

"Sparrowpaw, Featherpaw, Ashpaw, and Ravenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Squirrelflight asked.

"I do," the four apprentices mewed solemnly.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Ashpaw, from this moment you will be known as Ashpelt. StarClan honors your skill and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!

"Featherpaw, from this moment you will be known as Featherstream. StarClan honors your fighting skill and speed, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!

"Sparrowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sparrowfall. StarClan honors your skill in battle and forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!

"Ravenpaw, from this moment you will be known as Ravenheart. StarClan honors your energy and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!"

"Ashpelt! Featherstream! Sparrowfall! Ravenheart!" ThunderClan cheered for their new warriors as Squirrelflight went down to congratulate her kits.

"Well done! I'm so proud of you!" Squirrelflight mewed.

"Thanks! But I'm worried about the vigil," Ravenheart admitted.

"What, too scared that a fox is going to come and tear you apart?" Sparrowfall mewed.

"Yeah, or too scared that the Dark Forest is going to come and take over ThunderClan?" Featherstream added.

"Or too scared of the cold?" Ashpelt asked.

"No, none of that!" Ravenheart exclaimed. "I'm just worried about falling asleep, that's all."

"And that's no way to talk to your littermate," Squirrelflight chided. "Don't tease your sister like that."

Ashpelt, Featherstream, and Sparrowfall exchanged glances quickly before Ashpelt replied. "Sorry sister, but we couldn't help it."

"All in good fun, right?" Featherstream added.

"Yep!" Ravenheart mewed. "I'm so glad that I'm finally a warrior."

"Go and eat some fresh-kill," Squirrelflight suggested. "You're going to need all the energy you can get."

 _I wonder why Ashpelt, Flowerstream, and Sparrowfall were talking to their sister like that? They know that Ravenheart is a little sensitive! I hope they're not serious about the Dark Forest threats!_

"Hey mom! Is it cold during the vigil?" Ravenheart asked, snapping Squirrelflight out of her thoughts.

"No, it's going to be fine, since it's newleaf. Just don't wake up the sleeping cats and you'll do fine! Unless there's an emergency," Squirrelflight mewed. "Also, how long have your siblings been talking to you like that?"

"A while. I think that they just picked up an attitude or something while they were apprentices," Ravenheart responded.

Just then, Snowpelt burst out of the nursery, screaming, "Lilyheart's kitting!"

"What?! That's not supposed to happen until another quarter-moon! The kits could die!" Leafpool mewed as she ran out of the medicine den and into the nursery, followed by Jayfeather with a bunch of herbs in his mouth.

"Ravenheart, go get a strong stick Lilyheart can bite down on now!" Squirrelflight cried. "Sandstorm!"

"I'm right here," Sandstorm mewed, padding towards her daughter.

"Lilyheart's kits are coming a bit early! I need someone with experience in there! Now!" Squirrelflight mewed.

"I'll be there," Sandstorm mewed as she raced into the den with Ravenheart, who had found a few sticks. A loud shriek came from the nursery.

"I need some ragwort leaves and fennel!" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"I got it!" Brightheart yelled as she ran to Jayfeather, holding the herbs.

StarClan help us! Squirrelflight thought. Don't let anything bad happen to her!

The Clan waited outside in tense silence. The only sounds that were made were Lilyheart's shrieks and Leafpool's calm orders. Snowpelt stood anxiously outside the nursery, cringing every time he heard Lilyheart scream in pain. After a few more heartbeats, the shrieking ceased, and mewls could be heard from the nursery.

"Lilyheart has four kits. Two she-kits and two tom-kits," Leafpool mewed. After a pause, she added, "One of the tom-kits is sick."

"No!" Snowpelt exclaimed. With that news, he immediately raced into the nursery.

"Leafpool! I need the feverfew!" Jayfeather yowled.

"Coming!" Leafpool mewed. As Leafpool raced off, the dusk patrol came back.

"What's going on?" Whitewing asked, glancing at the concerned faces around camp.

"Lilyheart's kitted," Squirrelflight heard Cinderheart as she came out of the nursery. Her belly was swollen, and her kits were due in another half-moon.

"But it is too early!" Whitewing gasped.

"Snowpelt and Jayfeather are with her now, and Leafpool just went to get some herbs," Cinderheart said. "One of the four kits are sick and they are trying to help," she said as she looked over to the nursery. Squirrelflight followed Cinderheart's line of view.

 _Should I stop and see the kits?_ she thought. _Maybe they could use my help._ Finally, self-convinced after Leafpool rushed back in, she strolled over to the nursery. There was moaning, and she could hear the medicine cats working tirelessly to help the kits. Then suddenly, Jayfeather barged out and bumped into Squirrelflight.

"Watch out! Can't you see we're busy?" Jayfeather snapped.

Squirrelflight did not react, as she was normal to Jayfeather's usual attitude.

"May I go in?" Squirrelflight said quickly, looking at Jayfeather intently.

"Fine, but be quiet and don't get in the way," Jayfeather grumbled as he walked away.

Squirrelflight walked into the nursery. Lilyheart was lying on the back of the den wall; she looked exhausted, but happy. Four kits were squirming at her belly. One of the she-kits was a tortoiseshell; she looked like the strongest of them all. The other she-kit was a lovely white she-kit with unusually long front fangs , but she was still and looked peaceful. The tortoiseshell she-kit yawned. A voice squealed, which belonged to a black tom-kit. Leafpool came to push him closer to his mother.

"Oh, hello Squirrelflight," Leafpool said, tucking in the squealing tom.

"Am I being bothersome? I could leave you here," Squirrelflight said, embarrassed.

"No, you can stay," Leafpool said to her sister. "I would like the company." Snowpelt was near Lilyheart's head, coaxing her.

"You and your kits are fine," he whispered to his mate.

"Hello? I don't mean to interrupt, but, you have very beautiful kits," Squirrelflight mewed.

"Oh, I didn't notice you, Squirrelflight! Yes they are the best I have ever seen," Snowpelt said, staring at his kits. "Now all we have to do is give them names."

"May I name the white she-kit with yellow splotches? If you don't mind, I have the perfect name for her."

"Yes, you may. We will be honored for one of our kits be named by the deputy," Lilyheart mewed.

"Honeykit," Squirrelflight whispered. "I named her after your sister, Lilyheart. I feel that it fits her. I can see her being a strong warrior now, just like Honeyfern," she said proudly.

"I understand, and it is a good choice. Her name will be Honeykit, from now to her apprenticeship," Snowpelt vowed.

"I think I have picked names for the other three kits, but I have to discuss with Lilyheart first," Snowpelt said before he started whispering to Lilyheart again.

"The white she-kit will be named Snowkit," Lilyheart mewed as she licked the top of Snowkit's fur. "The black tom-kit will be called Larkkit. And the gray tom will be Stormkit."

"Those are beautiful names," Leafpool mewed.

"Will Larkkit be okay?" Snowpelt asked, motioning to the coughing kit.

"Yes, he will be fine, but he will need proper treatment, of course," Leafpool said.

Jayfeather entered the nursery with bundles of lavender and borage and dropped them at Lilyheart's side. "This should help the tom-kit."

"I'll be leaving now," Squirrelflight mewed as she backed out of the den. The nursery smelled of herbs and was starting to bother her.

"Thank you for Honeykit's name," Snowpelt said.

"Hey, Squirrelflight!" Featherstream called as Squirrelflight exited the nursery, "Will we go to the Gathering today?"

"We will," Squirrelflight mewed. "It's not quite sundown yet."

"Also, Thornclaw is asking when will you assign patrols. He wants to go hunting. And of course, Snowpelt wants to get food for his mate," Featherstream added.

"Oh of course, I almost forgot! Fetch your siblings. I bet they want to go out on their first patrol as a warrior. Thornclaw will be the leader of your patrol," Squirrelflight announced.

"All right! Ravenheart! Sparrowfall! Ashpelt! Thornclaw! We're going to go on a patrol!" Featherstream called.

"Is it a hunting patrol or a border patrol?" Ashpelt asked.

"Ummm…. I forgot. let's check with Squirrelflight," Featherstream replied.

"It's a hunting patrol. Don't go hunting outside of the territory!" Squirrelflight mewed from behind Featherstream's back.

"We know that! Every single cat here knows that, Squirrelflight!" Featherstream mewed over her shoulder as she went into the woods with her siblings.

"It's just a precaution," Squirrelflight said, and when they were out of her sight she narrowed her eyes.

 _Ravenheart, make sure they don't do anything stupid. I am counting on you,_ Squirrelflight thought as she walked away.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

Smoke's POV

 _The flowers are so beautiful here,_ Smoke thought. He felt so calm and peaceful as he walked around the grassy meadow full of plant life. Everywhere he looked, birds were chirping and the prey ran freely across meadows of flowers. There were other cats here enjoying themselves, and Smoke spotted Frost across the meadow, feasting on her favorite piece of prey: a thrush.

Smoke was enjoying himself as well when the sky suddenly darkened and blood rained from the sky. A lightning bolt crossed his vision and cats all around him started screeching and wailing, and the sound of tearing flesh filled his eardrums. Smoke's heart started pounding in his chest wildly as cats around him fell to the ground, unmoving. A familiar wail soared over the others.

"Frost!" he screamed, but when he tried to rush toward her side, he found that he couldn't move to help his friend, his only true friend. "Someone help me, some cat help Frost!" he roared as he heard his friend's desperate call for help. It felt like mouse bile melting through his blood as the bloody rain fell in numerous amounts out of the sky. Dark red blood blurred his vision.

A soothing voice spoke amid the screaming, "You must help," it whispered. "This war is your future. You must survive it. Do it for your kits. Do it for yourself," it whispered and faded out. Smoke remembered that voice. "Mother! Where are you? What are you talking about?" he questioned, desperate.

The air felt heavier and lightning flashed again. A black and red she-cat appeared in his line of vision. She had a collar full of dog teeth, and she was accompanied with two cats by her side: a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes and huge claws and a familiar looking cream and white she cat with the same delicate amber eyes as the tom. "Frost? That can't be her. She has blue eyes! Jenny, what have you done?!" Smoke screeched, his heart still pounding. They did not answer, but instead all three snuck up to him and pounced, claws unsheathed for a killing blow. "No!" he screamed as he felt his flesh being torn apart. The claws whipped his head to the side, and he felt a painful sting. "Wake up!" he heard.

Smoke opened his eyes to see the beautiful orange morning sky. Crouching over him was a cream and white she-cat with blue eyes: Frost. She cocked her head, whiskers twitching questioningly.

"Are you okay?" Frost asked with concern in her eyes, but with a playful voice.

"Yes, I am fine. Just a nightmare," he said. A headache started to form in Smoke's head.

"You were talking in your sleep. You were saying something about Jenny, and then me, that's when you started screaming. I woke you up as quickly as I could," Frost laid down by his side. She snuggled beside him. Then she sprang back from him, startled.

"What happened?" Frost squealed.

"What do you mean?" Smoke asked, confused.

"This," Frost said. She placed a paw on the side of his head, the pain worsened. Frost lifted her paw, and blood was smeared on it.

"I'm bleeding?! But how is that possible? I stayed here the whole night! Unless Tigerheart and that other cat Heathertail clawed me, that's impossible!" Smoke mewed in disbelief. "But in my dream, Jenny was attacking me and she slashed me in the head…"

"I'm going to go and get Rain. You stay there," Frost mewed as she got up, concern in her ice blue eyes and panic rising in her voice.

"Do you think I'm going anywhere?" Smoke asked as he lay down and watched as Rain came in.

"Oh my goodness!" Rain cried as she burst into the den. "How did that happen?"

"It happened in his dream!" Frost mewed.

"Well, I'm going to get Stoneteller. That looks really bad!" Rain mewed, concerned for her new friend as she dashed off.

In a few moments, the other forest cats woke up and began looking for herbs. Meanwhile, Tigerheart walked up to Frost and Smoke.

"Did you try to go back to BloodClan?" Tigerheart mewed threateningly.

"No! You would have smelled our scent leading a trail! What about you? Did you slash Smoke in the head? And besides, weren't you supposed to know, since you were 'supposed' to be guarding us?" Frost mewed, defending her companion.

"No! If I hated you both that much I would be fighting you right now!" Tigerheart mewed, frustrated.

 _Frost is a great cat. She always is looking at the positive side and helping me with every step. I always feel my heart flutter around her. Is it possible? To be more than friends? To have someone to love? I don't even know if she likes me more than a friend! I get it now, Rain. To have stupid problems, it seem dumb but important at the same time._

"I got you this," said a voice behind his head. He turned around and saw Frost holding a sparrow in her jaw for him, his favorite piece of prey. "You need your energy. That wound doesn't look like it was caused by a thorn in your nest."

"Thanks. I'm really hungry," Smoke replied, sharing the meal with Frost.

A few moments later, the cat Rain called Stoneteller smeared herbs over Smoke's wound and told him to rest and take it easy.

"What in the world happened to you, Smoke? I thought you were smart enough to stay away from the brambles," Cream mewed as she and Mouse came back from hunting.

"I don't know, no one knows! It happened in his sleep!" Frost defended. "I thought you were nicer _before_ Jenny asked you to join BloodClan!"

"Just because I have kin in BloodClan, doesn't mean I _have_ to join!" Cream shot back. "And I'm not the one who was on Jenny's side when Mouse's sister, Pebble, was killed!"

"Well, just because you chose the right side at the start doesn't mean you can torture us with loyalty problems! Your loyalty problem is bigger than ours!" Smoke mewed.

"What do you mean?" Tigerheart mewed suspiciously.

"What's this about?" Heathertail asked as Rain came up behind her.

"You don't know about her kin?! She didn't tell you? Every cat in the Twolegplace knows!" Frost mewed, surprised.

"Don't. You. Dare. Say. It," Cream threatened. "I have been known all my life by her name, and if you say a thing to the cats who don't know I wi-"

"But they deserve to know!" Frost mewed. "They helped us! And you and Mouse! They have to know what they might face because of your kinship!"

"Tell us," the cat named Mistystar mewed. "I think we should know something if it's that important."

"Jenny… is Cr-" Frost started.

"NO! Let me say it. It's my problem," Cream mewed. "Jenny, the leader of BloodClan... is my mother."

"What?!" Rain exclaimed, followed by many other cries of surprise.

"That's why she explores the forest. And attacked you when you came. She wants her daughter in BloodClan," Mouse mewed.

"And you tell us _now_? A BloodClan cat could have snuck up behind us and killed Emberfoot and the rest of us because of you! We have to keep him a guard too!" a golden tom with rippling muscled yelled.

"Hey! It's not my fault I was born!" Cream defended.

"Now that you've mentioned it, who in the name of _StarClan_ is your father?! And do you happen to have any siblings?!" Tigerheart demanded.

 _What is StarClan? Oh well, now doesn't look like the time to ask._

"My dad died on the Thunderpath. And I'm Jenny's only kit, so she goes crazy after me." Cream mewed sadly, remembering her dad. "My dad was very kind. He saved me from a monster when he died."

"Bramblestar? Onestar? Mistystar? I think we should have a cat watch Cream. I know she means no harm, but we can prevent attacks," Rowanstar mewed.

"I don't need a watch! I did not join BloodClan at first, so what makes you think I will now?" Cream demanded.

"Kin is kin, you never know," Rowanstar said narrowing her eyes.

"I was there when Cream rejected her offer. I was in the shadow of the leaves," Mouse squeaked. "Cream said that she will never join Jenny because of her ruthlessness. Cream blames the death of her father on her."

"How do you know about that? There was no one else there!" Cream said, turning her eyes toward Mouse. "That was supposed to be a personal thing with only my mother and I!"

"I told you, I heard you when you rejected Jenny. I was hiding," Mouse said and stepped back slightly, afraid.

"Why didn't I see you then!?" Cream shouted. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"It seemed to rude to tell you. What was I supposed to say? That I had stalked you in one of the most important decisions in your life?" Mouse asked.

"Just leave me alone, Mouse. Give me a few heartbeats of space, okay?" Cream mewed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Leave Cream alone," Mistystar ordered. "I'll be with her. I want to talk to her in private."

"Why?" Tigerheart demanded.

"She needs some sympathy right now. I know how it feels to lose both a parent and a brother," Mistystar mewed gravely.

The other cats couldn't argue with Mistystar's point and watched the leader of RiverClan lead Cream, sobbing, to a quiet part of the woods.

"I'm going to follow them to make sure that BloodClan doesn't attack them," said the golden tom as he followed quietly behind them. The whole camp didn't know what to say, and there was a hushed silence for quite some, everyone thinking about loss. Heartbeats of time passed before Rain broke it and said:

"Is that slash on your head any better Smoke?" Rain asked, concern in her eyes.

"I… don't think so," he replied, cringing slightly at the pain.

"You should get some rest. It will do wonders for your head," Stoneteller mewed.

"You're right, I should get some rest," Smoke echoed as he padded back to the den, catching a snippet of Tigerheart's conversation.

"I think these cats are more trouble than they are worth," Tigerheart muttered to a gray she-cat with green eyes. She nodded back at Tigerheart while watching him pace over to the den.

 _Oh great. I get Tigerheart to watch me. Yay, fun for everyone._

"Come on. In the den you go," Tigerheart said, pushing Smoke inside the den with his front paws. "Get in!"

"Okay! I'm going! I'm going!" Smoke insisted as he slipped into the den followed by Frost.

"Hey, I think I see Mistystar and Cream!" Frost mewed after a long moment of throbbing pain in Smoke's head. Cream's expression was blank; it didn't reveal any emotion. But by the look on Mistystar's face, they both had cried with grief at least once. Cream had silently padded over to the fresh-kill pile, with Mouse looking at her. Mouse's face held an expression of guilt, and he was begging Cream to forgive him. Cream ignored him, and for the very first time Smoke ever saw, she refused to share her vole with him.

 _That's not right. Cream_ always _shares her meal with Mouse. She must be engulfed in rage and sadness. I wish I could help her, but I will only stir back memories. And my head is aching! I feel so weak, I can't help anyone at all! I'm so lucky to have Frost..._

"I-I am s-so s-sorry Cream," Mouse mewed again, desperate to start a chat.

"Give me a moment!" Cream said, still upset.

Mistystar padded up to Rowanstar and mewed, "She's half gotten over it. That's progress, right?"

"Progress?! We aren't their mentors, Mistystar! I wish would just get moving to the barn already, find Barley, find this SkyClan, and solve the prophecy," Rowanstar replied.

"But Emberfoot is in no condition to travel right now. And I'm sure we would all love to fill our bellies with food and water before we head off in the morning, if Emberfoot feels better," she replied, flicking her towards Rain and Emberfoot.

"Can I go see Emberfoot? Stoneteller might have me do something useful, like find herbs for him or fetch fresh moss," Frost asked. She turned towards Smoke, "By the way, do you want some fresh bedding? Yours is a little blood-soaked," Frost suggested.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Smoke answered as he watched Frost walk her way to the makeshift den. He heard a few forest cats call it the Medicine Den, and he knew why. The whole place reeked of foul-smelling herbs. Strange and exotic bundles of herbs lay in the den, the unfamiliar scents reaching his muzzle. Just thinking about the scent made him want to cough, so he sat in the back of the den.

"I found some spare bedding in the Medicine Den," Frost mewed gently as she came in, carefully placing the fresh moss around him and throwing out the old ones.

 _Now's my chance! We're alone, I just need the right words to come out of my mouth!_

"H-hey Frost? Did you ever try to tell someone something that was har-"

"Oh no! Are you having trouble breathing? Stomach pain? Oh, sorry. I interrupted you, continue what you were saying," Frost interrupted.

"I-I um… You are a great hunter! And that mouse was great! And, uh… um… you're a good friend!"

"Um.. Thank you. Anything else?" Frost said patiently with her sparkling eyes looking through his.

"No. I mean Yes! I um… you look great in the moonlight-" Smoke tried, failing to express any feeling he had for her.

"Hey Frost! Stoneteller needs someone to look for moss!" Rain cried.

"Coming! Sorry Smoke! I got to go help," Frost mewed before darting out of the den.

 _What was I thinking? I can't even tell her my feelings without making a fool of myself! I'll never be able to tell her… wait! Emberfoot already has a mate! And Rain! And Frost is helping them. I think I'm actually jealous of Emberfoot..._

Smoke got up to see Frost going outside camp with Heathertail instead. Smoke breathed a sigh of relief and laid back down. He still felt his head throb but slowly and less painful.

"Smoke? Are you okay?" Tigerheart grumbled as he walked inside the tree stump.

"I-I… it's a little better, but my head feels light like I might faint," Smoke mewed.

In a couple of moments the world was turning black and he could only hear voices.

"Is he okay?!"

"Yeah, he just fainted."

"Well? Don't just stand there! Go and get Stoneteller!"

"I told you these cats were more trouble than they were worth."

"I got the herbs! What is it?"

"He fainted! And I don't know if he's de-"

"I still can see him breathing. You should have told us he felt bad earlier. We could have helped him."

" _Could have_?! What do you mean you _could have_?! Just go help him!"

"Wow, Frost don't get worked up about it."

"Cream! Go away! Why did you come in here?!"

"Well, I can help you. A fainted cat is just like a sleeping one. Give him some time. His body probably needed rest. If he doesn't wake up, then try waving some herbs under his nose…"

Then the voices muted out and Smoke woke up to a wonderful smell, lying next to Cream, Frost, Tigerheart, and Rain inside the den. Cream held a sweet smelling herb in her jaws above his nose, Tigerheart looked exhausted, Rain looked worried, but Frost looked the most anxious out of the three combined.

"I told you catmint would work!" Cream mewed with success as she dropped the catmint on the ground. "Maybe I should watch Rain and Stoneteller for healing remedies. Then you wouldn't mind me barging in!"

"Are you okay Smoke?" Frost asked worriedly.

"Um… what happened?" Smoke asked, still unsure of his strange memories.

"You fainted, and Cream told of a great treatment for fainting cats," Rain replied. Cream looked proud, and for the first time that day, she _smiled._

"Good thing we had some in the Den," Tigerheart grumbled. "Or I would have to watch you the entire time they were searching for some."

"Don't talk to my friends like that! If it were you, I would help him out," Cream retorted.

 _She called me and Frost her friends! I can't believe it!_


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

Leafstar's POV

It was moon-high in the SkyClan camp. Everyone had gone to sleep except for Leafstar. She had stayed up late, tossing and turning in her moss bed, wondering what was happening to SkyClan. She sat up and began to groom her mottled pelt, then took a step outside her den to watch over her sleeping Clan.

 _Frecklewish has told me a strange prophecy about Icekit. Not only that, but the apprentices are acting strange. Peanutpaw is becoming more brutal in each training session, and Lavenderpaw broke her leg. And hunting is getting harder since the Twolegs are letting their kittypets in the forest. Why can't thi-_

"Leafstar," Frecklewish mewed gently as she approached, disturbing Leafstar's thoughts. "You're up late. It's going to take a toll on your body if you won't sleep. Something's on your mind. You can tell me. I'm your medicine cat."

"It's just… there's been so much going on in SkyClan right now. I find myself not able to sleep at all most nights because I'm just… worried. It's becoming hard to be a leader sometimes…, especially when you're on your last life," Leafstar replied. A cool breeze blew through her pelt just as they heard the midnight patrol come in.

"Talk to me in the morning when you're ready, Leafstar. Get some rest now. May StarClan light your path," Frecklewish mewed as she padded back into her den as Leafstar walked back over to her moss nest.

Leafstar stretched her limbs as the sun slowly rise over the horizon.

"Leafstar? Are you awake? Frecklewish told me to give this to you," Dustypaw mewed as she saw a juicy mouse in front of her.

"Yes, thank you Dustypaw," Leafstar replied. "You may leave," Dustypaw nodded in acknowledgement and respect and left Leafstar's den

Just then, Leafstar heard some cries of laughter from outside her den. She scooped up the mouse and dragged it over near the mouth of the cave, so that she would be able to see what was going on, but the Clan wouldn't be able to tell she was there.

"Hey Dusty! I need some catmint! You're so dusty, I'm getting greencough!" Peanutpaw cried.

"Yeah! I think we should tell Leafstar that you're starting the epidemic again!" Lavenderpaw mewed back, limping around camp.

"Well, if you want to get rid of that cast, Lavenderpaw, I suggest you act nicer toward your fellow brother and medicine cat. Go and complain to Frecklewish instead," Dustypaw shot back, turning away.

"Peanutpaw! Lavenderpaw! Dustypaw! I want to talk to you for a moment," Leafstar replied with a stern look on her face. Peanutpaw and Lavenderpaw looked scared while Dustypaw just smirked. In a few seconds, they were hustled inside the den.

"Peanutpaw, Lavenderpaw, is that the way you speak to _everyone_?" Leafstar asked.

"No, we were just teasing!" Peanutpaw replied, his voice rising in panic.

"It was a joke!" Lavenderpaw insisted.

"Well, even though Dustypaw ignored you, _any cat_ could tell by his actions that his feelings were hurt! Don't you know that some jokes are cruel to other cats?" Leafstar asked.

"Yeah. We were just joking around and Dustypaw took it seriously," Lavenderpaw mewed as Dustypaw muttered something under his breath.

"What was that, Dustypaw?" Leafstar asked. "You can tell me if these two have bothered you in the past."

"They have been calling me names a lot recently, and it just hurts my feelings a bit," Dustypaw mewed softly.

"Lavenderpaw, Peanutpaw, if this happens again, you're in major trouble. Now go to your mentors. I'll inform them of your ill behavior. Dustypaw, stay here," Leafstar mewed as she watched the two apprentices leave. Then she turned to Dustypaw and asked, "Dustypaw, how long have they been treating you like that? It seems like that had happened more than once!"

"Just a couple of moons," Dustypaw replied.

"Well, if it happens again, don't put up with it. The way those two are behaving is not acceptable for a warrior. Let Frecklewish, your mentor, or me know if it happens again," Leafstar told him.

"I'm just nervous if I go out there they'll blame me for-" Dustypaw mewed.

"The whole camp is awake. No one will let them blame you and do nothing. Now, I need to speak to Frecklewish for a moment. I heard you had to collect some herbs with Foxtail?" Leafstar asked.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Dustypaw mewed as he raced out of the den to locate Foxtail. Leafstar chuckled to herself as she watched him eagerly prodding Foxtail awake. She padded out the den to see Frecklewish waiting for her.

"I thought we could go for a small walk in the forest and just talk," Frecklewish said as they walked out of camp and climbed up a tree, smiling. "Your kits have grown up so much. It seems like yesterday that they were still mewling kits."

"I'm very proud of them as warriors. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about our apprentices. I caught them saying mean things to Dustypaw, and I had a talk with them," Leafstar mewed.

"See? You're already making good decisions for SkyClan!" Frecklewish said with sincere belief in her eyes. "But I've been talking to Icekit. His dreams are normal now, but I've noticed that he's a bit… _stronger_ than a usual kit for his size."

"What do you mean?"

"His body is developing a bit quicker than other kits. On the same day he turned three moons old, he _leaped_ to the fresh-kill pile and _liked_ prey. He didn't have to wean his milk."

"I noticed that too. I think he's just a strong kit. His mother is really proud of him. Are you still getting those dreams of ice?"

"Yes, I think they mean something. I just haven't figured it out. There are other forces of nature involved now. Sand flying everywhere, the moon shining brightly, badgers roaming around, it makes no sense. My dreams are confused."

"By the way, do you have enough herbs? We c-" Leafstar meowed before she and Frecklewish heard a shrieks outside the camp. Leafstar immediately turned around and ran for camp, Frecklewish following from behind. She ran hard into a forest, and she soon smelled the reek of fox in the air. A heartbeat later, she could pick up the scent of kits, Firecloud's kits. Leafstar slowed down a bit when she heard Icekit's voice.

"Stay away from my sisters!" Icekit yowled. Leafstar crashed through a bush, and her eyes widened with shock. Cedarkit and Littlekit were cowering behind Icekit, who was standing strong with the sun shining his coat to silver. He was covered with blood, but the fox in front of him looked to be in worse condition. Icekit growled and started to run towards the fox.

"Icekit!" Leafstar screeched as she pounced for the fox.

The fox ran up to catch him, but suddenly, he flashed away and suddenly appeared on top of a tree branch. Soon after that, Icekit began to appear and disappear everywhere. He would appear in one place and flash to another; he would attack everywhere in this frenzy. Leafstar almost couldn't keep up with his movements as he flashed from place to place. He suddenly appeared in front of the fox, which looked more angry than ever. Icekit flashed on top on the fox's snout, and the fox dropped to the ground, limp with the loss of life.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

Icekit's POV

 _That's right! You don't mess with my sisters!_ Icekit thought as he stood on the dead fox's snout. He turned around and saw his sisters staring in awe. Leafstar's face was passive, and Frecklewish seemed to know more than she should have.

"Come on, let's get back to camp before anyone notices," Icekit said as he told his sisters to get up.

"When did you learn to do that?!" Cedarkit squeaked. "I want to learn how to do that!"

"I don't know, it just happened and I took advantage of it," Icekit shrugged.

"I think the big cats will notice the blood all over you," Littlekit squeaked as a little of the blood brushed on her. "That was so scary."

"Don't worry I will just wa-" Icekit stopped as he stood gazing up at his leader, jaw dropped on about what just happened.

"Can we worry now?" Littlekit asked as she gazed up, looking at Leafstar.

"Uh oh," Cedarkit squeaked. "I think we just got busted."

"You're going to be in big trouble!. Just don't tell anyone about what Icekit just did. We don't need the Clan worrying about… that. We'll say that a fox came and Leafstar drove it away," Frecklewish mewed, staring into Icekit's blood soaked fur. "Come with me kits, we'll wash Icekit in the river, then head back to camp. Your mother will be looking for you. You've probably worried her out of her mind! She's going to be really mad at you."

"Okay, Frecklewish!" they squeaked, still excited.

After stopping by a nearby creek to wash Icekit, they headed back towards the hollow. Cedarkit and Littlekit were still enthusiastic over Icekit's defeat of the fox. They emerged from the forest back into the gorge. Leafstar padded over where Firecloud and Sandywind were standing, looking agitated.

"Firecloud! Your kits are safe!" Leafstar howled as Icekit saw Firecloud and Sandywind run towards them.

"My kits! Are you okay? Icekit, you smell of blood! What happened?" Firecloud asked.

"We're fine! The fox was about to attack us and Icekit stood in front of us and-" Cedarkit mewed.

"And then Leafstar came and saved us and I got messy," Icekit interrupted, preventing their cover from being ruined.

"Leafstar, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! I can not express how grateful I am to you!" Firecloud thanked.

 _You mean how proud you are of me, Mama. I wish I could tell you. You would be so proud of me… I killed a fox! A full grown fox!_

"No trouble. I think your kits need to take a nap. It's been a _very_ long day for them and very dramatic," Leafstar replied.

"Littlekit, Cedarkit, Icekit, it's safe to go into the den. Let's have a nap, now. You must have had a lot of excitement for one day. Oh, and also, no leaving the nursery for a quarter-moon," Firecloud mewed as they walked into the nursery. Cedarkit and Littlekit started pouting, but Icekit just trudged over to his nest and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events.

As soon as Icekit opened his eyes, he found himself in a grassy meadow, and saw what appeared to be another kit, a she-cat with white fur and ice blue eyes.

 _Maybe she's another one of those cats like Skywatcher!_

"Hello? My name is Icekit. What's your name?" Icekit called to the she-kit.

"Who, me? Are you talking to me?" the she-cat asked, turning around.

"Yes, what's your name?" Icekit asked.

"My name is Snowkit! So you're another kit too?" Snowkit asked.

"Yeah. I haven't seen you before in SkyClan. Do you live here?"

"SkyClan? What's that? I live in ThunderClan! And the only clans that I know of are ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan."

"You live with the Clans! That's so cool! SkyClan lives alone in the forest. I wish we had other Clans around."

"Are you real? I'm probably just dreaming… I've never heard of SkyClan."

"Of course I'm real! A fox invaded our camp today, and I fought it off!"

"Oh I don't believe you."

"I did," Icekit insisted.

"Well, if you did, can you show me some moves?"

"Sure."


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

Snowkit's POV

The bright morning sun hit Snowkit's eyes as it penetrated through the nursery walls. Snowkit got up to stretch her bushy, snow-white fur. She let a yawn escape her mouth and looked over her shoulder to her mother. Lilyheart was lying peacefully with Snowkit's siblings tucked at her belly. Honeykit and Stormkit took slow deep breaths, and Larkkit's seemed gentle. _He must be getting better,_ Snowkit thought. She crept to the entrance to the nursery and sat, watching the sky turn from a gentle pink to a vibrant orange. A sound came from behind her, Snowkit jerked her head and and looked over her shoulder. A blue-gray tom-kit was trying to sneak up on her.

"Awww, I thought I could get you this time," Stormkit said standing up from crouch position.

"You know that you can never surprise me. I have the best hearing in ThunderClan," Snowkit boasted.

"But you can do everything!" Stormkit complained as he came to sit beside her. "You are the fastest, sneakiest, and strongest kit, and now you have great hearing."

"I am not as good as you claim! I might be the best in games, but I don't have to be, nor am I, good at everything," Snowkit said, looking at her brother with a surprised but also sympathetic face. Then Snowkit yawned, and her long fangs sparkled white in the brilliant light.

"You even have long fangs! The big cats say it is twice as large as a normal kit's teeth. I bet you could slice a cat in half with them!" Stormkit pushed.

"It's fine. I like them anyways," Snowkit said and squirmed her tongue between her teeth.

"I'm sorry," Stormkit said, looking down at his paws.

"For what?" Snowkit questioned with curiosity.

"For overwhelming you with facts you already know. For being jealous. I was being a little pushy that you're good at everything," Stromkit said, laying his head on Snowkit's feathery soft shoulder.

"It's all right," Snowkit replied, leaning her head on Stormkit's head.

"Snowkit! Stormkit! What are you doing up so early?" A familiar voice called from behind.

"Sorry Mama!" The kit's chorused. "I just woke up early, that's all" Snowkit said innocently.

"She woke me up," Stormkit complained.

"You two are coming back to sleep. Both of you will be very tired today if you don't come and get plenty of rest," Lilyheart said and made space for her kits to slip in beside her.

"Sorry Mama," Snowkit said again to her mother, hanging her head. Lilyheart softened her eyes and licked a ruffled patch of fur on top of Snowkit's head.

"It's okay, Snowkit. I am just concerned about you," Lilyheart sighed. Snowkit knew what Lilyheart was thinking about. Snowkit glanced at Larkkit, and for a second he looked still.

"Mama! Mama! _Larkkit_!" Snowkit yelped and ran to her brother's side and started to awaken him.

"What is it?" he moaned. Snowkit breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that all about, Snowkit? Don't disturb your brother!" Lilyheart yowled.

"Sorry! I thought he was not breathing. He looked still," Snowkit whispered the last part and stared at him. Suddenly, something flashed in her eyes, and she saw her mother being clawed by another cat that looked like a dark shadow. Screeching cats filled her ears. Then suddenly she saw herself, full-grown, on the ground with a dark cat on top of her as he sliced her throat. Snowkit screamed as she saw her future self hang limply between her murder's paws. Then a tom cat with silvery-gray fur appeared from nowhere and hung his head.

"I love you… and that you came to SkyClan to help with the battle. I will miss you..." Then, a female voice boomed in her ears.

"This will or will not be your fate, whether you survive the upcoming war or not," the she-cat said the last part coldly. "You must help, as every group of cats are in trouble, and you will be in the middle of it all. Survive with your might and you will one day live peacefully, or you will die in the claws of the dark cats. You must make a journey to the land of SkyClan and help defeat the darkness.

"Let your senses guide you on the day you become apprentices to SkyClan, the forgotten SkyClan. Take your darkest Storm, your drop of Honey, and your mighty cry of the Lark to help defeat this perilous war of the Clans. Bring also with you the Jay's sharp eyes and the gentle Dove's wing," The voice paused. "You must go alone on this journey with your helpers. May Starclan light your path."

"Wake up," a soft paw pad swiped her face. Snowkit opened her bleary eyes and saw Honeykit's fur was waving in the breeze.

"Come on sleepy head, let's play," she said excitedly. Snowkit got up from her mother's side. Other than Lilyheart and Cinderheart, who looked tired, there was no one in the nursery, as all the kits were playing outside. Snowkit looked warily at the place where Larkkit slept, and then turned her head, shocked with wide eyes, towards Honeykit. Honeykit did not notice Snowkit's look of shock.

"Where's Larkkit?!" Snowkit asked.

"He came to play! Isn't that exciting!" Honeykit squealed and turned her head to point her nose in his direction. "Stormkit and Larkkit are playing Chase the Mouse, and Larkkit is the mouse!" Honeykit said, watching her brothers play. Snowkit turned her attention to her brothers. Stormkit was haring, panting, to what look like a black streak against the background. Larkkit was running like a hare.

"He has never come to play, and never like this. I have never seen him run this fast, no, I have never seen him run at all!" Snowkit said, shaking her head.

"I know! Come on, let's go outside!" Honeykit mewed, and together the two sisters went outside to join their brothers in a game of Chase the Mouse.

"Hey Snowkit! Honeykit! Want to play chase the mouse with us?" Stormkit asked.

"I'd rather play hide-n-seek! I'm exhausted after all of this running!" Larkkit panted.

"What do you want to do, Snowkit? I want to do both, I can't choose," Honeykit asked.

"I want to get a badger ride from Snowpelt!" Snowkit exclaimed as she noticed the white warrior coming back from the border patrol. All four kits ran to their father, taking him by surprise and knocking him over.

"Ah! You scared me! you kits are going to become great warriors!" Snowpelt mewed from under the kits. Snowkit noticed that Larkkit looked down, away from his father's gaze, but Snowkit quickly dismissed it.

"We are! We're going to be the best warriors in the history of ThunderClan!" Stormkit yelled.

"I bet you will be the best," Snowpelt said puffing his chest as his kits surrounded him. "Larkkit! Look at you! You look as fit as your siblings!"

"Yes, Papa." Larkkit muttered.

"And Snowkit, your fangs are a great weapon! Stormkit, you have wonderful muscles and Honeykit, you have determination!" he praised.

"Yes, we do!" Honeykit mewed.

"We're the best!" Stormkit cried.

"Kits! Do you want to hear a story?" Purdy asked as he came out of the elders den. "Let's give your father a break from all that patrolling."

"Yes! Tell us the one about Firestar!" Larkkit begged.

"Oh, if you want _that_ story, you've got to ask Graystripe," Purdy mewed, turning back shaking Graystripe awake from his nap.

"Huh?" Graystripe muttered. "What?"

"These young-un's want to hear the story of Firestar. Tell 'em!" Purdy mewed.

"But I was captured by Twolegs. Let Sandstorm tell one," Graystripe muttered his lame excuse drowsily as he went back to his nap.

"Okay then, so which story?" Sandstrom asked the kits. "You're too young for the BloodClan story, so don't ask for that one."

"Aww! I wanted the BloodClan story! Please tell us it! Lilyheart won't mind!" Stormkit begged.

"Can we please have the story of when you moved from the old forest to the lake?" Larkkit asked politely.

"Yes you may, Larkkit. It was a very long time ago, when Squirrelflight and Leafpool were just apprentices…" Sandstorm began.

"Wow! That must have happened _at least_ seasons ago!" Honeykit mewed, interested.

"Yes, it was a very long time ago, Honeykit. And it was a strange time. Bramble _claw_ and Squirrelflight , who was Squirrel _paw_ back then, had disappeared for a while…" Sandstorm said, adding suspense to keep the kits entertained.

"Bramblestar was a warrior back then?" Snowkit asked.

"Yes, he was one of the new warriors that time. And Firestar was the leader," Sandstorm answered.

"And I was the deputy," Graystripe interrupted, awake from his nap.

"You were the deputy?" Stormkit asked in disbelief. Snowkit took a good look at Graystripe and noticed his gray muzzle and graying fur. Just then Patchpaw and Clawpaw came in holding sticks with wet moss in their jaws.

"What's that horrible smell?" Larkkit cried.

"It's mouse bile," Clawpaw mewed.

"We came to search for ticks," Patchpaw mewed.

"Let's go play hide-n-seek! I will never ever be able to listen to a story with that horrible smell!" Honeykit cried as they raced out of the den.

"Honeykit! Stormkit! Larkkit! Snowkit! Time for your nap!" Lilyheart cried.

"Aww!" they said. Snowkit felt worn out when she came to the nursery to find Lilyheart waiting for them. She was all snuggled up before she realized that she forgot to tell some cat about her nightmare. _Or_ was _it a message? A prophecy?_ Before Snowkit could ponder this question any longer, sleep overcame her.


	59. Chapter 59

**Hey it's been forever.**

 **I don't even think anyone is reading this anymore.**

 **But anyways, this is pretty much discontinued.**

 **If anyone is willing to adopt, then pm me.**

 **Otherwise, maybe I'll find motivation to finish this once and for all.**


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